Wrongfully Accused
by Genova
Summary: Seifer has been accused of a crime he didn't commit, will Quistis be the one to save him, or will she too get caught up in a web of deceit and lies?
1. Pathetic

Before you start reading this I just have to warn you that this is my first story on fanfiction.net. Actually it's the first story I've written period, so don't expect any miracles. Any sort of feedback would be really appreciated. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any of the crap in it (as if that wasn't already bloody obvious) 

**Wrongfully accused**

_Chapter One_

The cold end of the gun was pressed hard against his temple, but he didn't care. He barely even noticed. The only thing he saw was the lifeless figure lying on the ground in front of him. Her hair matted around her face stained with dry blood, her clothes shredded and torn, her arms bruised and bleeding, but the real horror of her now disfigured body was the wound in her chest. Bloody and deep it bore a single blade both elegant and ominous. 

He didn't even know the girl, he had never met her and yet he couldn't help but feel a tremendous sadness over her death. She was so young, so innocent. She'd only tried to protect her friends but had ended up getting them all killed. Their bodies were strewn all over the room, covered in blood. He wanted to reach out, to bring her back to life, to bring them all back to life, but most of all he wanted to kill the murderous bastard standing beside him. 

"Do you like my handy work?" The raspy voice sent shivers down his spine. "Well? Answer me boy!" 

"Fuck you!" 

"Well well well, look what you've has been reduced to. Simple insults. Don't tell me you're out of ideas. Or are you just afraid.?" 

"You're the one who's afraid." His voice weak from fatigue but he was determined to say what was on his mind. The man beside him just laughed. 

"Afraid, why would I be afraid?" 

"You're too scared to fight me, you run in here with your lackeys and get them to do all the dirty work, you didn't have the guts to go against any of us." 

A fist connected sharply with his jaw sending him flying across the room. Light flashed before his eyes as his head hit the wall with a sickening thud. 

"Get up! Come on, fight me! I'll show you who's scared." His opponent yelled. 

This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for, a chance to fight with this dog one on one. He searched around for his gunblade. He couldn't see it, it wasn't anywhere in this room. On top of that his head was pounding, he couldn't see clearly and he was bleeding profusely from a large gash in his right leg. _'This does not look good, there is no way I can face this asshole and walk away in one piece'_

__He slowly stood up, using the wall for support and took another look at his surroundings. _'Come on, there has to be something here I can use'_

__Another blow came out of nowhere, striking him in the stomach, forcing him to the ground. A boot connected sharply with his ribs forcing him up against the wall and struck him again repeatedly. 

"Had enough?" The voice was almost a yell but he didn't here. The only noise to be heard was the sound of his unsteady breathing. A hand grabbed his collar and pulled him to his feet. 

"Not so tough now are you? You're pathetic Seifer!" 

"Tell someone who cares!" 

"All right I will, let's see if you're friends will let you come back to garden after they find out about all these people you ruthlessly murdered." 

"Wha?!" 

"Sweet dreams Seifer" 

The last thing he saw was the look of contentment on his attackers face as everything went black. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

What do you think? Should I upload another chapter or just put this story out of it's misery while I still have some dignity left? 


	2. Sick of it!

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Two_

Struggling to get to her feet Quistis turned around just in time see an oversized red tail barely miss her head. 

"Damn it! Why the hell didn't I see that coming?" 

The T-Rexaur let out a mighty roar that seemed to shake the entire training center. It glared angrily at the blonde SeeD before charging at full speed. Quistis jumped out of the way, weapon held firmly in her hand. 

"You are going to have to do better than that my friend." She smirked as cast a blizzard spell, knocking the beast to the ground. 

"Quistis!" 

"Oh what now?" She had intended on retreating to the secret area in hopes of getting some peace and quiet but the monsters in the training area had had different ideas, and now this. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone? 

"Quistis, I am so glad I found you.... what happened to you?" 

She motioned to the now dead T-Rexaur lying on the ground. 

"Wow, looks like he gave you a run for you money." 

"Selphie, is there any real point to you being here?" Quistis asked icily. She was not in the mood for the petite brunettes jovial chatter. 

"Oh sorry, umm, why am I here again?" She asked a guilty expression on her face. 

"I don't know Selphie, why are you here?" If Selphie had noticed the cruel sarcasm in Quistis' voice she didn't comment on it. 

"Umm, oh! That's right! The headmaster wants to see you in his office right away." 

"Just me?" 

"No, he wants all of us there." 

"Us?" 

"You know, Squall, Irvine, Zell, Rinoa, you and me." 

Quistis cringed. The whole 'sorceress team' was being called up. _'This means it's probably no more than a stupid publicity event'._ Ever since the defeat of Ultimecia all they had really done was go to bloody political or media events. Everyone wanted a piece of those who had brought the mighty sorceress to her demise. Every week it was something different, yet it was always the same. A party honoring the SeeD's success, an appearance to be made at some political meeting. There 'missions' had been increasingly trivial over the last few months, but a fortnight ago had been the worst. Quistis had been called to the office on short notice along with the rest of the group. They were informed that they were to be sent on an urgent mission. Believing that the group would be dealing with some sort of crisis she had made sure she was fully armed, both weapons and GF at her disposal. Imagine her surprise when the 'urgent mission' turned out to be the grand opening of the new Galbadian Grand Casino. The only thing they were required to do was stand beside the mayor as he made his hour long speech, and then mingle with the crowd for the rest of the night. The rest of the group had been exhilarated with tasks that were handed to them. Quistis however didn't even make it through the front door. Overcome with rage at being seen as nothing but an advertising tool, she had stormed back to her hotel room and stayed there for the rest of the night. When asked why she hadn't attended the celebration she had simply stated that she was feeling unwell and didn't want to jeopardize the health of anyone else at the party. 

That night she had made a promise to herself that she would not allow herself to be used by Balamb Gardens publicity consultants any longer. She would take a stand and demand to be sent on a mission that demanded skill. A mission that would require her to use the abilities she had acquired through her relentless training and preparation. So far she had kept that promise to herself, however she did not do this by making a stand, she get around missions by making excuses. If she wasn't ill, she was busy and if they didn't fall for that she simply insisted that the Doctor needed her assistance in the infirmary. Unfortunately these excuses were wearing thin, sooner or later she would either have to give voice to her thoughts or give up and go on another one of these dull and unnecessary missions. 

"Hello!! Anybody home?" 

"Huh?" 

"Quisty, you zoned out on me for a sec there. I said that I'm gonna head up to the office now, you wanna come with me?" 

"No, not now, I want to finish up here first. You go ahead, I'll be right behind you." 

"Okay, see ya. Don't take too long." 

Quistis waved to her friend and she ran out of the training center. She would go up there...... eventually. She just needed a moment to collect her thoughts. 

_'Maybe it wont be so bad. We might even see some action this time.'_

__"Bah! Who am I kidding. Oh well, it's now or never." 

Straightening up, she began to walk towards the exit, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. In truth she _was_ nervous, but still, she couldn't help wonder about the look on her friends faces when she told the headmaster exactly where he could stuff his missions. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I know this doesn't seem to be going anywhere, but I assure you it does get better. Or at least I hope it does. This is still just a working progress so any suggestions would be great. 

Oh and before I forget, yes this will most likely be a seiftis. Unfortunatly though I'm not overly talented when it comes to writing romance so don't expect anything too spectacular this time. 


	3. Leanne

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Three_

"Is he conscious?" 

"No sir." 

"How long has he been like this?" 

"Almost 40 hours." 

"Any change in his condition?" 

"Not since he arrived." 

"Hmph! Very well, keep the guards posted at the door and inform me the instant his condition changes." 

"Yes Major!" The officer watched as his commanding officer left the room then turned his attention to the computer screen he had been studying before the Majors interruption. 

The room he was working in was fairly bare with the exception of the computer desk and four beds lined up against the wall opposite to the door, all of which were empty except for the one in the far corner. There Seifer lay, wrapped in white sheets and surrounded by machines monitoring every function of his broken body. The officer slowly got up to observe the patient he had been caring for since early yesterday morning. His breaths were steady but shallow, his skin was as pale as the walls and the bruises adorning his face and upper body made it almost impossible to identify who he was, yet those who knew him well would have immediately recognized the blonde hair and unsightly facial scar. 

"Captain O'Rielly?" 

The soldier turned around, facing the door and the person who had addressed him. "Are you Doctor O'Rielly, head of medical ward 3?" 

"Yes I am, and you are?" 

"Oh, forgive me. My name is Leanne Bickerson, we spoke on the phone this morning, I'm a reporter from the Galbadian Times, you said you would..." 

"How did you get past the guards?" 

"Guards? There were no guards." 

The Doctor rolled his eyes _'That'd be right, we've got one Galbadia's most wanted men in this room and those two idiots decide to take an early lunch. And they left the door unlocked. Bloody hell, it's like working in a fucking preschool'_

"I'm sorry Mrs Dickerson but.." 

"It's Miss Bickerson" 

"Sorry, look this is a restricted area. Only authorized personnel are permitted beyond the lobby, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." 

"But you said you would give me information on the murders that occurred at the Guardian Nightclub two nights ago." 

"I'm afraid I can't help you" 

"Why not?" 

"Because I probably know less about this than you do." 

"What?" 

"Look, I'm just a bloody Doctor, I don't know anything about what goes on outside these walls, so if you have any questions I advise you to contact the local authorities because no one here will be able to tell you anything." Doctor O'Rielly turned his back on the reporter hinting that their conversation was over. However, the stubborn reporter was not about to give up so easily. 

"But you said that the person accused of the crimes was under your care, surely you must know something." 

"It would appear Miss Brickson.." 

"Bickerson!" 

"Whatever. It would appear that we have had a misunderstanding. I simply insinuated that someone involved in the incident may have been receiving care from one of our doctors, I said nothing of the accused being under my personal care." 

"So you really don't know anything?" 

"Not a damn thing." 

"Very well then Doctor. I thank you for your time and patience." 

"Wait!" 

"Yes?" 

"Don't move, I can't have you walking around here without a security pass, I'll have someone escort you to the front office." 

Walking outside O'Rielly spotted one of the grunts, assigned to guarding the room they had just exited, flirting with one of the female nurses. 

"WILLIAMS!!!" 

"Yes Captain O'Rielly sir!" 

"Escort Miss Bickerton to the front office immediately!" 

"Yes sir! This way miss." 

Up above the PA system crackled to life, startling the doctor. _"Dr O'Rielly. Dr Raymond O'Reilly, please report to Post Op ward 2!"_

"Oh what now? Williams, get this woman out of the building, and have someone posted at this door immediately!" 

"But sir.." 

"Just do it!!" 

"Yessir!" O'Rielly walked off in the opposite direction ignoring the soldiers salute. 

"Umm, shit. Miss, can I ask you to stay here until I get someone to watch this door. It's kinda important." 

"Sure, no problem. I won't move from this spot." 

"Gee, thanks lady, I wont be long." And with that, he ran off in the same direction the doctor had gone not 15 seconds ago. 

"Idiot." Leanne reentered the room and headed straight towards the computer. 

"Now what do we have here, supplies, payroll. No no, come on, were is it. Aha, here it is, patient list." Hunched over the computer her fingers flying over the keys she took no notice of the patient now stirring in his bed. "PASSWORD!! I don't know this guys frickin password!" 

"Urgh." The once silent figure stirred again. 

"HUH?!" Slowly she got up and walked over to the bed at the far corner and picked up the clipboard on the side table._ 'Well well well, what do we have here. Captain O'Rielly's personal patient. Let's see what your report says. Subject suffers from major head trauma and severe internal bleeding..........'_

"Bah! Who cares. Don't these people have names?" She asked aloud. 

Her eyes skimmed over the rest of the page but her eyes widened as she came across the name of the anonymous person lying before her. 

"Almasy!?" The clipboard dropped from her fingers hitting the ground with an echoing thud. Without taking her eyes of his face she reached down to pick up the clipboard, but stopped suddenly when she saw his eye's flicker. 

_'Shit! He's waking up! What the hell are the chances of that happening?' _ The sound of the door opening broke her thoughts. 

"Hey!! I thought I had Private Williams escort you out of here" The doctor said, storming into the room. 

_'Oh great! Now I'm in for it' _"Umm you see, I ah......heard a noise and.... ah...umm...." 

"Shit!" O'Rielly bolted towards the bed. "Damn it, not now! I'm not ready!" 

"Ready? What's going on here?!!" The reporters sudden outburst startled the doctor. 

"I don't have time for this. Get out, now!" 

"But...." 

"NOW!!" 

Leanne bolted towards the door grinning from ear to ear. She may not have got the interview she had been hoping for but she now had the beginnings of what could be the one story to really make her career. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Sorry this chapter took so long, I had major writers block. I know it seems like this story isn't going anywhere (at least I think it's not) but i'm really just trying to buy myself some time until I can think of what I want to happen next. 


	4. Unsettled

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Four_

Cid paced around the room eyeing the faces of the SeeD's standing before him. They had been waiting in his office for 10 minutes but there was still no sign of Quistis. 

"Maybe I should go look for her?" Selphie asked. 

"Are you sure you told her to come right away?" 

"No Zell, I told her to come next week. What do you think I said?" 

"Hey it was just a question, no need to bite my head off." 

"That's enough you two, stop acting like children." Cid looked expectantly at the door. "Selphie, go down to the dorm and look for Quistis there, Zell you check the training area......" 

"Don't bother, I'm here." Quistis breezed into the room, showing no signs of having been in the training area for the last hour. 

"I'm glad you could finally join us Quistis. All right, let's get started. I assume that you have all heard about Deling City's newest media spectacle?" 

Everybody but Zell nodded. 

"Umm, what spectacle?" 

"Zell. Don't you watch T.V?" Irvine asked. 

"Of course I do, what kind of stupid question is that?" 

"Excluding cartoons numbnuts!" Squall piped up from the back of the room. 

"Well..umm" Everyone in the room rolled their eyes, or made an attempt to slap Zell on the back of the head. 

"Hey! It was just a question! I can't help it if I don't keep up to date with these things." 

"Look, it is not that important, someone will simply have to explain to Zell what's been happening in the real world." 

"Rinoa, do me a favor and DON'T stick up for me!" 

"I was just trying to help." 

"Well you're not very good at it." 

"Well if that's the way you're gonna act then I'm not gonna talk to you any more." 

"You're mean Zell!" Selphie said pointing a finger at his chest. 

"What did I do." 

"Everything." Irvine stated, standing up next to Selphie. 

"ENOUGH!!!!!!" Everyone turned their attention to the now red faced Quistis. "You're all acting like you're in first grade! Now can we please get on with this." Once they were all seated Quistis turned her attention to Zell. "Three months ago, the Deling Police received information about a drug shipment arriving in Deling. They tracked down those in charge of the shipment but when they went to investigate, all they found were four dead bodies and an empty suitcase." 

"So someone got to the scum bags before the cops, I don't see why we should cry about it." 

"That's not the point Zell, these men, who were all big time by the way not just your regular street scum, were completely clean..." 

"So the murderer gave 'em a wash afterwards?" 

"It means there was no blood on the victims dickhead!" Squall once again deciding to alert the others of his presence. 

"Ahem!! As I was saying, there was no sign that the murder had actually taken place...." 

"Other than the dead bodies." Zell stated 

"And the bullet wounds in each of the individuals' chest" Selphie added. 

"Okay I get the point!!! What I'm trying to say is that the job was obviously done by a professional, and this of course raises a lot of questions." She paused to wait for the headmaster to intervene, when he didn't she continued, "And on top of that there has apparently been two more murders of similar natures since then." 

"Three murders" Rinoa corrected, "don't forget about the Guardian Nightclub incident." 

"It has not yet been proven that all these cases are in fact linked, the Nightclub one especially." Cid walked around to the front of his desk, silently ordering them to pay attention. "The event that took place at the Guardian Nightclub two nights ago is more than likely unrelated to the previous cases." 

"Why do you say that" Zell asked. 

"Because the murders that took place beforehand were all professionally done in a very discreet manner, and all victims were, in some way, linked to the main drug syndicate in Deling City. The victims at the nightclub however were mostly innocent people who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." 

"But what about the owner. I'd heard that he'd had to call upon a few favors to get the financing together for the nightclub. Who's to say these favors were entirely legal." 

"You've got a good point there Irvine, but there is just too much evidence to prove that these crimes are unrelated." 

"So what has this got to do with us?" Quistis asked. 

"The fact that most of the victims were indeed quite heavily involved in a lot underground drug dealing and shipments suggests that perhaps conflict has arisen amongst the syndicate bosses. If this is indeed true then immediate action must be taken in order to prevent, for lack of a better word, chaos." 

"So why can't the local authorities take care of it?" 

"Although the Deling authorities do have the expertise and numbers to deal with such a case, they also have a city to deal with. Besides, if things keep heading the way they are, this could turn international on us, and the Galbadian officials cannot step out of their jurisdiction. That of course is where we step in." 

"So what exactly are _we_ supposed to do?" Rinoa asked this question although she feared that she already knew the answer. She had been allowed on the previous few missions simply because she was there when Ultimecia fell and was needed for publicity reasons, but this mission looked like it would require professionals, trained professionals. In other words, she was a redundancy that would most likely be discarded. 

"I understand what you're getting at Rinoa, but you don't need to worry. I called you up here for a reason. This is to be a covert operation, nobody must know why you're there." 

"So why choose us, wouldn't it be better to use lesser known SeeD's?" 

"Unfortunately all SeeD's attract attention, no matter how well hidden they are from the world. Thankfully though we have the perfect cover up. Senator Bareta is planning a major event to celebrate his current status on the polls. He has therefore requested that you all make an appearance. You will each receive two personal invitations, but you will only reply to one. The first is an invitation covering various social and political events. The second will be a personal letter from the senator, requesting that you all stay at his own lodgings for the duration of your stay. Under normal situations you would be obliged to take him up on the offer, but due to the nature of your mission, privacy is of the utmost importance. Therefore reservations will be made at the local hotel. Any Questions? Keeping in mind that you will be informed of the mission details at a later date." 

"Yeah, I gotta question." Irvine said, "What's with the celebration? Being ahead in the polls shouldn't be that big of a deal." 

"Apparently the celebration is not simply for that alone. I'm sure you're all, with the exception of Zell, aware that prior to this year the senator was almost completely unheard of. His sudden popularity and success has been a shock to all those concerned, so these celebrations are more to do with publicity than anything else. Any more questions?" 

................................ 

Walking back to her dorm, Quistis went over the meeting again and again in her head. _'So it was a real mission after all. I shouldn't be so surprised. This is what I wanted. This is what I've been trained for.' _Reaching her dorm room, she walked in, not bothering to turn light on, and headed straight for her bed._ 'So why am I so unsettled?'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Aaaaaaaargh!!! I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I wish I had a good excuse, but I don't. The truth is I had no idea what I wanted to write. Unfortunately I don't really think this story is making much sense so far, but I promise to try and fix all that. 

Oh and one more thing, Risty I really appreciate your review, but the next time you need to tell me stuph like that just e-mail me instead, ok? 


	5. Breaking Free

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Five_

Heyo peoples. My friend Spaz wanted in on this story so I let her write the majority of this chapter. There's an further down, that's where she started writing. 

The room was filled with an eerie light, banishing the darkness from all surfaces. The only door to the room was shut and bolted, diminishing any hopes of escape. A mirror on one side of the room reflected the image of two men sitting at a table facing a third man on the other side. The two appeared to be military officers of some sort while the other was a man handcuffed, naked from the waist up and hunched over the table, his head resting on bruised arms 

The first man stood up and walked to the other side of the table. "I'll ask you again Almasy, what were you doing at the nightclub?" 

"." 

"Answer me!!" 

"dunno, can't remember." Seifer replied with slurred speech. 

"BULLSHIT! Listen boy if you don't start co-operating you can kiss this comfortable hospital goodbye and say hello to a fucking prison cell" 

The second broke into the conversation, "Sir, I don't think you're gonna get much out of him today. According to the nurses he's pretty out of it." 

"Wha?" 

"He's been given enough pain killers to keep him flying for the next week. He can't even remember what he had for breakfast let alone what the hell he was doin' last week." 

"Shit! All right, call the guards and tell them to escort this asshole back to his room. And tell the nurses not to have him so fucking doped up the next time." 

"Sir!" 

As he watched the officer leave Seifer smiled to himself. _'This is going to be easier than I thought'_

__

__Back in his room, Seifer had been staring at the plain white ceiling for the past twenty minutes. Fooling the officers had been easy. The employees at the hospital were too slack to check his records regularly so nobody really knew, off hand, how much or what type of pain killer he'd been given, or what type, but the constant presence of security guards was a different matter. The problem with trying to escape is that you need some time alone to prepare. Unfortunately, he was never alone. There was always a guard near by. He couldn't even piss without someone watching. Not exactly the image he'd been hoping to portray. 

He'd been conscious for four days, but still did not know exactly where he was. He knew it was some type of Galbadian military hospital, but the question was, which one? He knew there was one near Deling city, one between D-District Prison and what was left of the missile base, and one near Winhill. Knowing which one he was in could mean the difference between escaping and being caught. 

"Mmph." 

Seifer immediately looked up at the officer on duty. His chin was resting on his chest and his hands rested loosely on his lap. His position meant he would soon fall off his chair and wake up. Seifer saw this as his one chance. Jumping off the bed he ran towards the guard and knocked him out with a blow to the back of the neck. Hearing voices he grabbed the handgun that had fallen to the floor and hid beside the door. Nothing. No one came in, no armed guards, not even a curious employee. _'Hmph! They obviously have no idea who they are dealing with.'_

He looked down at the guard, bleeding profusely on the room's floor, a deep red stain forming on the lino. A single computer in the corner of the room beckoned to be infiltrated. The muddled fragments of his ordeal sloshed around in his mind, but only for a second - more than that might have resulted in a vulnerability that could kill him. He knew this, every mercenary did. 

The hum and whirr of the computer powering up was a moments comfort to him, in this place that seemed so generic, so cold, so sterile. It was time for him to redecorate - the urge and instinct to fight his way out, starting to emerge within him. 

Nothing in this place could ever seem familiar. The flickering screen, the sound of keys tapping - his hands moving swiftly across the board, was the only thing he knew. The system was easy enough to crack, the guards and employees were slack, the system administrator was practically non existent. This was like walking into a bank, walking straight past the armed guards, taking everything in the vault and strolling out in broad daylight. The system administrator obviously had an ego problem - and thought he was god's gift to computers. He was predictable. 

A cunning smile spread across his face, widening to a small chuckle that echoed throughout the small room. 

Open Ports: param: 1-6000 

21 connect 

21 close 

31337 connect 

Scan halted 

_'Typical' _he scoffed _'couldn't people be a little more difficult?' _He rolled his eyes as he muttered to himself. 

The backdoor that the system administrator had left was now going to be exploited - he couldn't get over how unoriginal it was. Leaving a back door on the 'Elite' port. 

_'Tsk tsk tsk' _he shook is head, chuckling again. He found it all quite amusing. 

Within a matter of minutes the password files for the entire base were scrolling across his screen. The keys now getting bashed wildly by him as the adrenaline started pumping through his body. He felt rebellious, he felt wired.... he felt alive. 

He is Seifer. He is back. 

A 3D map of the base loaded on the screen. The password he used gave him root access and he was loving it, having free run of an entire system, nothing and no one could stop or find him in here.....a sanctuary all his own. 

__

__Referring to the map, taking in the complexities, making notes in his mind, slowly memorising the layouts, floors, stairs and exits. He also found all the control points for auto-lockdown, sprinkler systems. 

Time to break free. 

So? What did you think. I don't know about the rest of you but I liked her bit. Do ya think I should let her help me with more of the story. If ya do, just review and tell me. 


	6. Messages

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Six_

Gripping the side of her seat Quistis tried desperately to keep her uneasiness under control. Her stomach had been acting on its own since they had left the Garden that morning. The situation was beyond frustrating, she'd never been carsick before so why now? 

"This is too much!! Yo Squall, how long 'till we get to Deling?" Zell stretched out on his chair receiving irritated looks from those sitting around him. 

"................." 

"Earth to Squall!! I asked wha......" 

"Fifteen minutes." 

"But that's what you said ten minutes ago." Selphie whined. 

Quistis began rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to ease her raging headache. _'Not again! I can't stand anymore of their childish antics.' _Arguments had been breaking out all day and it had been up to her to end most of them. _'Why the hell do I always have to intervene? Why can't Squall get off his lazy ass and do something about it?'_

__"Quistis!?" Quistis looked up as Selphie poked her in the shoulder. 

"Huh? What is it?" 

"Tell Zell I'm right - the hot-dogs at Garden are bought in bulk, and already pre-frozen." 

"What?" Quistis looked at the small girl in confusion. 

"And I'm telling you Selph, you can't pre freeze the hot-dogs and simply nuke em. They'd just taste like rubber if you did that." 

Irvine lent forward, staring Zell in the eye. "Hey space cadet! They DO taste like rubber. You'd have to be an idiot to eat them." 

"What did you say?!?" Zell jumped up and grabbed Irvine by the collar. 

"We're here." The driver announced 

"Finally!" Rinoa sighed, "Two more seconds and we would've been peeling Zell off the walls. 

"What?" 

Irvine stood up and slapped Zell on the back. 

"She got ya there buddy!" 

"I'll buddy you assho....." 

"ZELL!!" Squall yelled from outside the car. 

"I didn't mean it like that Zell I just..." 

"Save it Rinoa." Selphie said, "You and I both know there's no talking to Zell when he gets like this." 

Afterwards they walked through the city in silence. No one had the energy to talk but after having spent the past four hours riding in a car the last thing they wanted to do was take a bus. 

Upon reaching the hotel Quistis locked herself in her room, after turning down an invitation to join the others at the bar. Dragging herself into the bathroom, she peeled off her clothes and climbed into the shower. The heat and pressure of the water massaged her aching muscles, the tension of the days events slowly being pushed to the back of her mind. For what seemed like an eternity she stood there. A feeling of peace swept over her. Solitude always had that effect on her. The idea that she was the only person in the world, the only thing that existed, always brought a smile to her face. Yet just as fast as this euphoric feeling came it would disappear. Although she would fight to stay in her own world, the fear would eventually take over. The fear that someone would find out. That someone would finally see that, underneath her uniformed appearance, she longed to be free. To be released from the chains of her militant life. 

Shaking her head Quistis hurriedly stepped out of the shower and into her clothes. _'I've got to snap out of this. I am perfectly content with my life the way it is. As nice as all that sounds, the reality is that a life without discipline is a life in chaos.'_

__She shuddered at the familiar quote. It was so cold, so unnerving. Yet it was an idea drilled into every young SeeD's head. It was what she lived by and, chances were, it would be what she'd die by. 

Walking out of the bathroom Quistis headed towards the door but stopped short. Light from the hallway was streaming into the room. _'Shit! I could've sworn I'd locked that door.'_

__Immediately she was on the defense. She grabbed her whip from the side table and scanned the room for intruders. Lying on her pillow was a small white envelope with the initials Q.T. written on the front. _'I will not open the envelope, I will report this to the commander. I will not open the envelope, I will report this to the..oh who am I kidding.'_

__Slowly she stepped towards the side of the bed, glancing over the note, checking for any signs of danger. It may have appeared to be a harmless piece of paper, but she knew that many people resented SeeD, so nothing should EVER be left to chance. 

She picked up the envelope and slowly removed the note. Skimming her eyes over the written message, Quistis suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Talk about corney :S I didn't know i could write like that. It was kinda wierd. Neway, as usual i wanna know what you thought, so please review. 


	7. Shopping

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Seven_

"SELPHIE! You scared the shit out of me! What are you doing in here?" 

"Geez! Sorry Quisty, the door was open so I came in to check on you. We were all kinda worried." 

"What? Worried? What for?" 

"Well you've been in here for and hour and Hey! What's that in your hand?" 

"Nothing." Quistis hid her hands behind her back. 

"Uh huh, it sure looks like nothing too! Is it a love letter? Who from? Or did you write it? Who's it for? Can I read it?" 

"No no no no and NO!!" 

"Oh C'mon Quisty! You can trust me." 

"Looks it's nothing okay. Just some notes I've been taking for the mission." 

"But we've only been here an hour." 

"You can never start too early." Quistis cringed at her weak excuse. 

"Oh well, never mind, I'll meet you downstairs in twenty minutes." 

"What?" 

"Quistis! Don't tell me you've forgotten already?" 

"Ummm." 

"Aargh!! We are supposed to go shopping for our outfits. The dinner with that senator guy" 

"Bareta." 

"Whatever. That private dinner is on tonight, so you, me and Rinoa are all gonna go shopping." 

"Oh Selphie I don't think so" 

"No!" 

"Wha?" 

"I said NO!! You're not backing out of THIS one. You promised you'd come. Come on Quistis, it won't be any fun without you." 

"Bullshit, you just want an excuse to control what I wear." 

"Well. We can't have you turning up in your peach outfit. I mean, it's cute and all, but not really appropriate." 

"Says you." 

"Quistis, did you just impersonate Rinoa?" Selphie said with a huge grin. 

"I didn't mean it... look, I'll be down there in a minute ok." 

"YAY!! I knew I could count on you. Cya in twenty!!" 

"Yeah cya." Quistis replied looking down at the note once more, going over the words again and again in her mind. 

__

_23:00_

_Gateway_

_Come alone_

_'This is something I should definitely report to Squall. But what if I scare this person off. He could be a crucial part of this mission. Or he could be some homicidal mass murderer.'_

__Quistis shuddered at the thought. _'It doesn't matter. I can take care of myself. I'll simply report to the commander when I'm done with this.... meeting_._ Too easy_....._'_

She then remember what Selphie had said about the private dinner that night. _'_...._or not.'_

Thirty minutes later Quistis and Selphie were sitting on the couch in the hotel lobby, with Selphie rambling on about the kind of outfit she was going to buy and Quistis trying to look interested, all the while looking over her shoulder at the elevator. 

"Quistis!! Are you listening? I asked you what you thought about me going with a full length skirt for once." 

"Great, but what's keeping Rinoa?" 

"I can think of a good reason, and his name starts with S." Selphie said, a sly grin forming on her face. "Why? You eager to go already?" 

"Yeah....that's it." The truth was, she wanted to get this over and done with so she could prepare for the events later on tonight. 

"Quistis, we'll make a shopper out of you yet. Mark my words, you'll....RINOA!! OVER HERE!!" Quistis slapped her hands to the side of her head, trying to stop the ringing in her ears. 

"Geez Selph, ya didn't have to yell, I'm standing right here." Rinoa stated, giving Quistis a 'there she goes again' look. Quistis smiled back in acknowledgment. When Selphie got excited about something, she tended to speak to people like they were on the other side of the room, even if they right next to her. 

"Well then, shall we go?" Quistis said as she straightened her skirt. 

"We shall, you ready Selph. Selphie?" 

"COME ON GUY'S. HURRY UP!!" Selphie was already outside and calling for the other two. 

"Well, when Selphie calls...." 

"You gotta answer." Quistis said, completing Rinoa's sentence. 

Two hours later they were sitting around a cafe talking about the days occurrences. Well, Rinoa and Selphie were talking, Quistis was staring off into space having lost interest once the conversation turned to fashion. 

"So anyway, I know I said I liked that little white outfit, but once I saw that dress up the back, you know, the one with the spaghetti straps, I knew I had to have it." Rinoa explained in great detail. 

"Would you excuse me, I think I'll head back to the hotel." 

"But Quisty.." 

"I'm sorry Selphie, but I'm tired. I'll see you both later." 

"Ok, but remember, we have to be at the senators house by 8." Rinoa said, handing Quistis her bag. 

"I will. Bye." Quistis quickly headed for the nearest bus stop. _'Finally. One more minute of that and I would have been hanging myself by those spaghetti straps.'_

Lost in her own thoughts Quistis didn't notice the other woman running towards her. Before she had a chance to dodge the oncoming body, she found herself lying face up on the cold ground. 

"Dammit! Why don't you watch were you're going?!" The woman looked up angrily at Quistis who had pushed herself upright into a kneeling position. 

"I beg your pardon, but it was you who collided with ME!" 

"................." 

"What?" Quistis said, holding out her hand 

"Are you.." The woman accepted Quistis' hand as she pulled herself to her feet, a look of disbelief on her face, "Are you....Ms Trepe?" 

Quistis sighed. _'Not another one.' _Although the rest of the group secretly loved being approached and admired by strangers, she would definitely prefer if they left her alone. 

"Yes, I am Quistis Trepe." 

"It is a privilege to meet you Ms Trepe. I'm Leanne Denver, I work for the Galbadian Times as a........ 

_'Don't say reporter, please please please don't say reporter.' _

".....reporter." 

_'Damn!' _"Oh, do you have your own column?" 

"Well no actually. I mainly work on political stories with other reporters." 

"That's strange, I read theGalbadian Times quite frequently, but I don't think I've ever seen your name." 

"Oh you wouldn't, I mainly use the name Bickerson when I'm working. You know, after Amelia Bickerson." 

"Yes, the author of the Dr Isarfoe mystery series. I take it your a fan?" 

"Absolutely, she's the reason I became a writer and....." 

_'Damn! Why do I get myself into these situations. Stop that Quistis, she's a very nice person, you're just tired and cranky and.......'_

__"So why are you here in Deling? Is it for a mission."__

__"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say.." _'Shit! Shouldn't have said that! Very professional Quistis, why don't you just hand over a detailed report of the mission.'_

__"Oh so you _are _here on a mission. Do you think I could get an interview?" 

"I don't think so, it was very nice meeting you Miss Denver, but I really must be going." Quistis ran off before Leanne could ask her anymore questions. _'This could be bad, the last thing we need is for the press to interfere. I'm definitely_ _going to have to report this.... unfortunately.'_

__

__Leanne finished picking up the papers that had fallen to the ground. _'So the famous SeeD Instructor is in town. She's obviously not here for a holiday, so why? What would bring one of Balamb Gardens most qualified and prominent SeeD's to Deling?' _She looked down at the report on the Guardian Nightclub that she had dropped, and smiled to herself. _ 'I smell a rat, and for once it isn't my boss._' 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Well, I hope you're all happy with that. I know some of you wanted the note to be from Seifer, but I just didn't see how I could make that work. Don't worry though, it will still (most likely) end up a Seiftis, but I also think I might throw in a little competition for Quistis. Who knows, Seifer might even end up with someone else. 


	8. Freedom

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Eight_

I know most of you hate these author notes (well, I know I do) but I just needed to tell you all that my mate Spaz helped me out again. She wrote most of this chappie (the first half actually). I'll try and make it clear when her part finishes [[[...]]] cause I want you all to tell me what you think (nobody commented on it last time :( ). 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

[[[[[He felt a cold, hard gun barrel pressed against his temple, imprinting the muzzle's shape on his head. A broad smile fell upon Seifer's face, his slyness apparent. 

"And I thought this was going to be easy." A sarcastic chuckle and self-assurance that was disturbingly unnerving. 

"Stand up and put your hands behind your head filthy scum." the guard's voice trembled as he feigned authority. He was scared shitless. Complying, Seifer rose from the terminal, both hands at ear height. With his cool, calm, expressionless face - he turned. Staring down the barrel of the gun brought back the memories... and again they flooded his mind. With a deep inhale his arm snapped down on the muzzle and flipped the semi-automatic with one swift maneuver, ramming the stock into the guard's nose - breaking it and shoving the splintered shards into his brain. 

Instant Kill. 

_'1000 points for me!!'_ he thought as the now limp, lifeless body of the 'guard' dropped to the ground behind him, blood and fluid oozing from one of his now impaled eyeballs. A second stain forming on the floor, this one creeping along the sterile linoleum fusing with the already half dried blood of the first casualty. 

Seifer shook his head and smirked at the stupidity of it all. Strapping the new addition to his weapons inventory over his shoulder and checking the magazine for the sig he'd acquired when the first guard was brainless enough to fall asleep while he was here. Casually he strolled out the door, confident that escaping would be a walk in the park. Not two steps out of his cell 

and the major security alarms sounded. 

"Oh shit..." 

The guards scrambled as the deafening sirens echoed all through the facility. Seifer stopped. Frozen. The footsteps of soldiers getting ever closer, then, he bolted into motion. Flying through the hallways like a bat out of hell. Glancing at his surroundings, orienting himself with the 

white halls. 3rd floor. Only cells on this floor. Remembering the floor plan he pulled up before he was so rudely interrupted his mind whirred - formulating a plan to get him out of here. 

Too late. The deployed troops were cutting him off, surrounding the floor and the snipers were assembling their rifles on the towers with his every breath. A sharp turn right and up the flight of stairs to the 4th floor. The running made him feel uneasy as he was still groggy from the drugs they pumped into him. He was going to get these bastards, the only way he knew how. 

4th floor. The footsteps growing louder, the sound of uniform military marching echoing through building. He ran faster, faster - something in his peripheral vision flickered. STOP!!! Almost skidding out from under himself Seifer fought inertia and managed to regain his balance. Stumbling back to what had caught his eye, Seifer's instincts paid off. 

The master security room. Jackpot. Seifer's mind reeled, his eyes darting over the electronic sensors. Set aback for a moment, he did a double take of the security panel. With a raised eyebrow and an evil grin he raised the semi-automatic. 

The thick steel door burst open, the personnel manning the station ready to flee for their lives. 

"Where do you think you're going..?" Another three people met Seifer's wrath. Calmly stepping over the bodies Seifer moved with pace to the millions of flashing buttons in the control room. He gazed over all of them trying to differentiate one from another. 'Fuck this' he thought and slammed his hand down on the button marked: 

EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN - ALL CODES OVERRIDE 

He set the timer for 2 minutes just as he heard the troops stomping into the corridor. He listened, for a moment, collected himself and bolted out from the safety of the room. A rain of gunfire showered behind him, bullets ricocheting off the walls, one scraping his upper left arm. Sharp turn. 5th floor. As he rounded the top of the stairs he hit the override button for 

the south end lockdown door. The gargantuan steel door slowly started descending. He ran to the northern end, he remembered the 3D map, the exit to the helipad on the roof was here.. as well as the sprinkler system control panel. He skidded to a halt once more, he reefed open a panel set 

into the hall. Punching buttons he turned on the sprinklers just as the first set of troops rolled under the closing door. 

"00:30 Until complete lockdown" the placid computer voice was hardly noticeable amongst all the chaos, disorder and general destruction he had caused. 

One last push of a button and Seifer was running again. All the doors had now been closing for a while. A sudden downpour was the result in his button pushing, the water rolling off his shirtless, bruised and bloodstained body. 

"00:10 Until complete lockdown" again the monotone voice drowned out by chaos. 

Ducking under the door Seifer's SeeD training once again proved useful to him. Water mixing with sweat and blood he bolted up onto the helipad, his body gleaming in the sun. His chest heaving, he stopped a moment to analyze his surroundings. Only a communications wire that traveled to the far tower. Somehow 2 troops managed to get through the last door to the helipad. They charged, guns ablaze, bullets raining, shells left smoking on the ground. Seifer snapped the first guard's gun straight from his hands and then picked him up and hurled him into the other knocking them down the stairs to the lockdown door. He ran at the edge of the building, 5 floors of military facility and he was about to jump off the edge of it. He used his now empty semi-automatic to fling over his head and slide down the wire to the far tower. The far towers not being too high he jumped off the edge clinging to a drainpipe for balance, dexterously landing on top of a small recon humvy. "Perfect. Let's ride." 

Sliding himself into the open door of the humvy he comfortably fell into the driver's seat and revved the engine. The vehicle sped away from the base, the main building now filled with water and everyone trapped inside. He knew he'd get those bastards. He looked at the humvy's GPS. Galbadia Garden was only an hour from his current location. From there it was on to Far East 

Galbadia Station. He knew if he showed up in this vehicle he'd be caught. Strategically planning his next moves Seifer figured it best to enter the station with discretion. So to be safe he would leave the humvy just near Galbadia Gardens and then enter the second leg of the journey on foot. He looked around the vehicle for items of use. A uniform was sitting in the 

back seat, considering his current attire, Seifer decided to change into it. 

He carefully pulled the shirt over his wounded shoulder, his half dried skin making the material stick slightly. Undressing in the front of the humvy, Seifer watched the scenery roll past the window as he drove on. He soon arrived at Galbadia Garden, being careful to keep enough distance between him and the garden Seifer proceeded to hide the recon vehicle, checking the 

interior for anything that could help him. There was nothing. With that he set off on foot for Far East Galbadia Station. On foot he judged it to be another hour to the station, so he continued on, enduring the heat, hunger pains growing stronger by the second. 

As he approached the station Seifer lessened his pace, trying to control his breathing and act natural. The train was just about to depart as he stepped onto the platform, soldiers standing there saluted him, not recognising and unaware of events that had just taken place. He let out a sigh of relief as he boarded the train, his ordeal was over - for now. Wandering into the 

dining car he sat down to eat a well deserved meal, once satisfied he settled into his cabin, dozing off to the rhythm of the tracks underneath the car. 

Knock knock. There was a rapping sound on Seifer's cabin door. It was the ticket master for the train. Seifer opened the door still groggy from sleep. 

"This is Deling City sir. May I see your ticket?" the ticket master 

inquired. Seifer looked wide eyed at the guard. Once again, 'Your ticket, sir?" Seifer jabbed quickly at the man, catching him off guard, punching him square in the face. He ran to get off the train, the local law enforcement in pursuit - barging passengers out of the way to get to him. 

He ran through the streets of Deling, trying to figure out his next move, where he could hide... who he knew. One person sprang to mind. Running faster now, Seifer darted through back alleys like he knew the city more than he should, but there was no explanation for this but instinct. The 

sweat starting to form on his forehead once more, he was heading for Rajin's. The only person that could possibly save him now...]]]]] 

"Raijin!! Raijin! Open up!" Seifer glanced behind him in an attempt to detect any officers. He tried desperately to lower his pulse, there was no way in hell he was going to survive this if he didn't keep his cool. 

"Dammit Raijin!!" Seifer once again slammed his fist against the door. He knew this noise was probably drawing more attention than he needed, but Raijin was his only hope. If Seifer didn't get off the streets soon he would surely be caught. 

"What the hell is going on?!?!? Shit! When I get out there heads are gonna..... Seifer?!?" Without another word Seifer rammed his friend into room and slammed the door. "Hey dude what the hell are ya doin?" 

"Shhh!" Seifer slammed his hand over Raijin's mouth as he looked out the window. When he was satisfied that no one had followed Seifer released his friend and sat down on the floor, pressing his back against the wall with closed eyes. Opening them again he surveyed his current surroundings. The room was dark, no other sound could be heard apart from his heavy breathing. The sweat trickling down his face and chest began to cool as his heart rate returned to normal. He looked up at Raijin who just sat there, waiting for him to speak. _'Fuck, sometimes it scary how much he knows me.'_

__"Hate to interrupt your little meditation session but I think I deserve some answers ya know." 

Again they sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. 

"I need a place to hide out." 

"No Shit, who from?" 

"The Galbadian military." 

"Wha? You're in enough trouble with them already ya know. What did you do to piss em off now?" 

"Nothing!! Well not really......" 

"Whadaya mean not really?" 

"It's a long story." 

"I'm not tired." 

"I am." 

Raijin ran his hand through his hair as he gazed down at the floor. He didn't want to get into more trouble with the Deling officials, but he couldn't just turn his back on his friend. Seifer would never do that to him. 

"All right, you can sleep on the couch, but tomorrow I want the full story." 

"Fine." Seifer mumbled 

"Guess I'll see you in the mornin." Raijin turned around and headed for his room. 

"Yeah see ya...hey Raijin?" Raijin turned around to face Seifer, who was still sitting against the wall. "Thanks." 

"Don't worry about it." And with that he left the room, leaving Seifer alone with his thoughts. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I'm soooooooooo, sorry for not updating. It took spaz forever to write her bit (we had exams so we were both slack). To make up for it I'm posting three chappies now. 


	9. Excuses

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Nine_

Quistis tried to suppress a giggle as she watched Zell feign falling asleep. They'd been at the dinner party for almost an hour listening to the senators personal assistant, Gaz Fosman, drone on about the campaign. Quistis' patience was wearing thin. The only reason she was here was to meet the senator but if she'd known he wasn't going to be on time she wouldn't have skipped lunch. _'I'm starving. This guy better turn up soon or I'll start eating the plastic fruit in the centre of the table.'_

__"So as you can see our policy on employment is going to be a major part of this election. In the next 18 months we plan to help reduce unemployment by 32%." 

"In only 18 months? How do you plan on achieving such high numbers in such a short time?" Rinoa asked. 

"Well it's quite simple Miss Heartilly. Not only shall we increase funding for employment agencies, but we well also be enforcing stricter laws for welfare. The criteria to be put on social services well be raised so as people will be _forced_ to get jobs." 

"But what about those who _can't_ work, like the disabled or the elderly?" 

"Selphie, I'm sure the senator and his party have thought of all that." Squall stated in an attempt to calm her down. 

"Ha ha, do not worry Miss Tilmitt, allowances will be made for those in extreme circumstances" 

_'When is this going to end, it's almost 9pm. Where is this guy?'_

__Everybody turned their attention to the door as the sound of knocking interrupted the senators assistant. 

A short, balding man scurried into the room and introduced himself to the nine people at the table, including the wives of the senator and Mr Fosman. 

"Oh here it comes, the excuse." Bareta's wife, Patricia, whispered to the rest of the table. 

"The what?" Irvine asked 

"My husband can never deliver a message personally. He's always sending one of his assistants to make excuses for him." 

"My apologies for interrupting ladies and gentlemen, but the senator wishes to inform you that he shan't be attending tonight. He sends his apologies but promises to make it up to you at a later date." 

Patricia rolled her eyes. "What a surprise, I guess we'll have to eat dinner without him. Our loss." 

"Why can't he be here?" Zell asked before stuffing a bread roll in his mouth. 

"I'm afraid there where some minor mishaps at the office today that needed his immediate attention" 

"Like his 23yr old secretary." Patricia said under her breath. 

" so he is simply tying up some loose ends." 

"Ha!" Patricia laughed into her wineglass. 

Quistis raised an eyebrow at her reaction before turning her attention to the messenger. She couldn't help but notice the slight irregularities in his body language. His hands, although steady, where crossed in front of his body palms facing inwards, suggesting insincerity. The slight film of perspiration at the top of his forehead was slowly increasing in density and his breathing pace had quickened. All of these things were extremely subtle and would probably have gone unnoticed by normal people, but they all led Quistis to one conclusion. _'He's lying.'_

"Well this sucks, we got all dressed up for nothing." 

"Irvine!" Selphie grabbed her fork and attempted to stab him in the arm. 

"It's true, there's no reason for us to be here if Bareta's a no show, and I don't know about the rest of you guys but I can't wait to get out of this monkey suit." 

"Here here." Zell mumbled through a mouthful of food. 

"Surely you will stay for the meal won't you?" Mr Fosman asked. 

"Of course we will." Squall spoke through gritted teeth. He too wanted to rid himself of his formal wear. _'But not for the same reasons as the other two.' _Quistis thought after noticing the apologetic look he gave Rinoa. 

"Now where was I? Oh yes, the unemployment issues, as I was saying the current percentage of unemployment" 

_'This is going to be a long night.'_

__

Seifer tossed and turned on the old leather couch. No matter what position he slept in there was always something keeping him awake. The leather did nothing to help, he was already sweaty and in serious need of a shower, so sticking to the upholstery just increased his discomfort. 

"Shit!" _'This is ridiculous, it's gotta be 100 degrees in here!'_ Standing up he walked over to the kitchen. Seifer felt his way around in the dark until he came to the sink. He splashed his face with water, wincing as the icy liquid stung his neck and chest. He looked down at his bruised chest and sighed. He was crazy for leaving the hospital so soon, but not half as crazy as he would have been if he'd stayed. _'That arsehole did a hell of a job on me, but it'll be nothing compared to what I'll do when I find him.'_

__The face of his attacker appeared in his mind. Every detail as clear as a picture. Seifer gripped the ends of the counter until his knuckles turned white. Without a moments thought he swung his fist into the nearest wall. 

His fist sliced through the plaster, narrowly missing the wooden frame. Gripping his bloodied hand Seifer slowly dropped to his knees, his whole body shaking with rage. A hand rested on his shoulder. With catlike reflexes he spun around and grabbed the potential attacker by the throat. Raijin fought to release himself from Seifer's grip but it was no use. He was like a man possessed. 

"Sei.Seifer! It.it's m Raijin!" 

The angered look in Seifer's eyes faded into fear as he released his grip and backed himself into a corner. 

"Shit. Raijin II." 

Raijin fell to his knees as he attempted to breath again. "S..Shit man. WWhat happened to you?" 

"I think I'm losing it." 

"You think? For the love of hyne, what the hell was goin on in that head of yours?" 

"You don't wanna know." 

"Try me." 

Seifer looked at Raijin, still on his knees clutching his throat. _'I almost tried to kill him, yet still wants to know what happened. I'll never fully understand you Raijin.'_

__"You remember what happened a few nights ago?" 

"When you just disappeared?" 

"Yeah, well, you probably already know this, but some fucked up shit was goin on at the Guardian Nightclub and I was stuck in the middle of it." 

"You mean you where there? What for?" 

"Guess you could say I got a message from an old friend. Said they wanted to talk. Unfortunately for me, talking was the last thing on their minds." Seifer said, referring to his battered body. 

"So what happened?" 

"I don't really remember much. I remember dead bodies, and someone kicking the crap out of me but then everything's a blank." Ok so that last bit was a lie, but Seifer just wasn't prepared to let all his secrets out in the open. Not yet. "Anyway, when I woke up I was in some sort of military hospital, with round the clock security. From what I could gather from the interrogation sessions, I've been accused of the attack, if that's what it was." 

Raijin got to his feet and turned on lights. He walked out of the room, but returned seconds later with a paper in his hand. He threw it on the floor in front of Seifer, who was still on his knees. 

The headline read -34 CONFIRMED DEAD IN NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE- 

"What?" Seifer read on. 

_Deling police have confirmed that over thirty people are reported dead in what appears to be a mass murder at Guardian nightclub. Although the motives of the killers are still unclear, the police have ruled out several possibilities, including terrorism, and are certain that the attack was pre-emptive._ _Police also stated that the leader of the group who attacked the nightclub may not have been targeting the nightclub itself. Even though the majority of the people were killed by minor explosions or machine gun fire a select few in a private back room appeared to have been killed by single shot wounds to the head or chest._ _Constable Chief Richards made a statement on this new evidence this morning. "We suspect that these people where the targets and the other killings where simply made to cover the offenders tracks...... As of now we are not certain exactly how many people where involved in these horrific slayings but we are currently looking into area's of organised crime. Once the targets have been identified we are certain that we will be able to find some sort of link that will aid us in tracking down the culprits." It has also been reported that a survivor was found at the crime scene and was taken_ _into custody. This individual, who's current location is unknown, is rumoured to be one of the major suspects in this case. The police made no further comments._

"They're talkin bout you, aren't they Seifer." 

"I had nothing to do with this." 

"You just said you where there." 

"Yeah but I didn't kill anybody. You gotta believe me." 

"Why should I? The authorities don't." 

"Come on Raijin, you know me better than that." 

"That's what you said...... before you attacked Garden." A heavy silence fell between the two. Finally Raijin spoke. "Seifer I... I didn't mean it like that..." 

"I killed a lot of people that day, I won't deny it. But that was almost a year ago, and Ultimecia......" 

"It's ok, I wasn't thinkin when I said that ya know. I do believe you." 

"Raijin don't lie for my sake. If...." 

"Hey! I said I believe you, and I mean it." 

Seifer smiled up at his friend. An act for him that almost never held sincerity, but there's a first time for everything. 

"So what are you goin to do now?" 

"Don't know, but whatever I do, I gotta be careful. Don't wanna end up back at that fuckin military hospital." 

"Which one did they keep you at?" 

"Not sure, but it was near Galbadia Garden." Raijin gave Seifer a puzzled look. "What?" 

"Seifer, there is no military hospital base near Galbadia Garden." 

"........ Huh?" 

"The closest one is near Dollet after that, there's nothin till Winhill." 

"Impossible." 

"I'm certain, don't you remember? Balamb Garden kept accurate records of all Galbadian activity, including construction of Military hospitals." 

Seifer once again looked up at his friend in disbelief. _'Shit he's right. What the hell is goin on?'_


	10. Gateway

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Ten_

The sound of Quistis' footsteps echoed throughout the quiet street as she ran towards her destination. It was 10:59pm, the dinner party had ended a lot later than she had expected. _'I hope this person has nothing against tardiness.'_ As the gateway came into view she slowed her pace down to a jog. Quickly she ran over in her head all things she'd prepared, GF's, offensive and defensive magic, and a few items. She'd brought her whip but it was safely concealed in her jacket along with a small dagger. Quistis didn't want to risk scaring this person off, even if there intentions where to harm or kill her. She might still be able to get information out of them regardless of whether they where on her side or not. 

11:02, she'd made it just in time. She hid herself in the bushes to the left of the road facing the gateway, and scanned the area for activity. She was not going to risk walking into a trap. 

Silence. No movement, no voices, nothing. _'That's strange, I felt for sure that there would be a small crowd around here. Galbadia isn't exactly known for being quiet, day or night. There isn't even any buses.'_ Quistis felt a shiver run down her spine. _'This is not good, something's wrong. This was a bad idea.'_ She looked down at her watch, 11:06. _'No sign of anybody. Screw this, I'm getting out of here.' _She placed her hands on the ground, preparing to push herself to her feet, then she heard it. Footsteps. She froze, straining her ears. _'I heard it, I know I did.' _ There they where again, this time behind her. Quickly she spun around. Like before, there was nothing. This time however, Quistis noticed a slight depression in the ground, a little over three meters from where she was crouching. _'Footprints? They weren't there before.' _Keeping low to the ground, she stealthily moved in to get a better look. _'They're footprints_ _alright_, _and they're definitely fresh.' _. Slowly she stepped out of the protective cover of the bushes. Big mistake. Out of nowhere two strong hands grabbed her roughly by the arms and pulled her back into the shrubs. Before she could react a hand was clasped over her mouth and an arm wrapped around her chest, pinning her arms to her body as her assailant flung her to the ground. She struggled to break free, but the persons grip was too strong. 

"Be still woman or you'll get us both killed!" Quistis cringed at the harsh male voice, but did as she was told. There was no point in fighting back now. Not until he released his grip. Then she heard it, footsteps. Quistis froze as she saw two figures stop, less than a meter away from where she and her 'attacker' lay. 

"Did you see her?" 

"No sir, and the big guys gone too." 

"Shit! I knew he was trouble. Ok go tell the others to back off for now, but keep a couple of lookouts posted around the gateway. Just in case." 

"Yes sir." 

"And remember. Keep out of site, there's enough suspicion amongst the authorities as it is." 

"Yes sir." 

When the figures where out of site Quistis felt the hand over her mouth loosen. 

"All right, I'm going to let you go know, don't go making a scene." Quistis nodded, but prepared herself of a fight. As soon as he released his grip she spun around and grabbed his left shoulder, in one quick movement she flipped him on to his stomach and pinned his left arm behind his back. Quistis smiled as she saw him wince with pain. 

"Aaaargh! Damn girl, you said you wouldn't make a scene." 

"I lied. Who the hell are you?" 

"I can't tell you that." 

"Is that so?" She pulled his arm further behind his back. 

"Aaargh!! I'm serious. I'll get myself killed if I tell you." 

"You're going to get yourself killed is you _don't _tell me." 

"Ha ha ha, an innocent little girl you, killing a fully grown man like myself. I'd like to see that." Upon hearing those words Quistis reached insider her jacket and removed the small dagger. She held the blade up to his throat. 

"Y-you wouldn't." He stammered. She pushed the side of the blade further into his skin, causing a small droplets of blood to run down his neck. 

"Try me." Quistis whispered in his ear while waited for his next move. She hadn't intended on using such violence. He had prevented her from getting caught just a moment ago after all, but she refused to let him think he had the upper hand simply because of his size and gender. 

"I can't tell you my name, I'd rather die at the hands of a SeeD than Look, you're hear for a mission right?" 

"What's it to you?" 

"Your groups not as discrete as you think. Someone is already after you and your friends." 

"You're lying, we are just here for publicity reasons." 

"You might be able to fool the public, but not my bosses." 

"Who are your bosses?" 

"Can't tell you that." 

"Then what _can _you tell me?!" 

"Shhh, keep it down! They're still around." 

"Who are 'they'?" 

"Those men you saw." 

"Damn, this is going nowhere." 

"Let me go and I'll lead you to a place we can talk." Quistis thought about his proposal for a moment before replying. 

"Weapons?" 

"6 shooter, in my left jacket pocket." Quistis removed his gun then ran her free hand down his sides and legs, checking for other weapons. 

"Getting a little friendly aren't we miss Trepe?" At the mention of her name, Quistis once again pushed the blade, which was still held at his throat, further into the skin. 

"Don't take it personally woman." Once again footsteps could be heard. "Shit! We really have to get out of here." Quistis slowly eased the dagger away from his neck and stood up. 

"Stay in front of me, keep your hands where I can see them and don't do a damn thing until I tell you to." She checked that the gun was loaded and aimed at his back. "Now get up." Slowly he got to his feet. "Walk." Quistis once again commanded. 

He started walking in the direction of the park, keeping in the shadows as Quistis had before. _'Well, he's no SeeD, but he is still a professional. I'm going to have to stay on my toes with this one.'_

They walked through the park and crossed the road to Caraway's mansion. 

"Where are you taking me?" Quistis asked, her voice showing no signs of her fear and doubt. 

"Somewhere safe, no one will follow us there." 

"What makes you so sure?" 

"Cause no one knows about it." 

Quistis shuddered at the thought. _'If no one knows about it, then no one will find me if something should happen.' _Her pace started to slow down as she began debating with herself. _'I shouldn't be doing this, it goes against every regulation in the handbook. But there may not be a second chance with this guy, and if he is legitimate, then he may be the key to this whole mess. But what if it's a trap? Ah! Get a hold of yourself Quistis. You're a SeeD, you can take care of yourself.'_

"Everything ok back there?" He started to turn around. 

"Face the front! Keep walking!" 

"Hmph, touchy." 

The walked to the side of caraway's mansion, and turned into a walkway hidden by some bushes. They continued to walk until they came to a sharp turn. The pathway then lead behind the mansion but ended a few meters later. They stopped just in front of a what appeared to be a garden shed. 

"I didn't know Caraway had this." 

"Neither does he." 

She followed him into the shed, but froze as she heard breathing behind her. Keeping the gun pointed at it's original target, she grabbed the dagger and turned her body in the direction of the sound. Quistis saw a second male figure come out of the shadows and try to grab the knife. She moved it out of the way and swiped at his chest causing him to stumble back. The first man grabbed other her hand and pushed it behind her back. 

"Aaargh!!" 

"Let's see how you like it bitch." He pulled tighter at her arm causing her to cry out again 

"Stop it Garrison, let the girl go. Just take her weapons." 

"Bu... Fine! Don't move bitch, or I might trip, and that would be a very bad thing." He said, holding the knife in front of her face, but Quistis refused to be intimidated by his actions. 

"It's funny how a man's actions can change once knows he's in charge, you weren't so confident when I had you on the ground before." She heard the second man snickering in the background. 

"Damn you bitch." 

"Just take care of her." 

Quistis yelped as something hard hit the back of her head, sending her flying to the ground. She looked up at the figure of the second man clutching his now bloodied chest before a second blow knocked her unconscious. 

The first thing Quistis noticed was the throbbing at the back of her head. She couldn't move her arms but she could tell by the warm sticky substance running down her neck that the wound was serious. Her eyesight was fuzzy but she could see the ropes binding her arms and legs to the chair she'd been placed in, beyond that however, everything was a blur. She lifted her head as she heard two men walk into the room. _'Those two assholes from before I presume.'_

"Open your eyes." The one she had wounded demanded. A bright light was flashed in her eyes, making her turn her head, but a strong hand grabbed her chin and turned it back. 

"What's your name?" 

"What's yours?" Quistis slurred 

"See BJ, I told you she was a smartarse." 

"Stay out of this Garrison. Once again, can you tell me your name.?" 

"I could, but I'm not." Quistis was slowly regaining her ability to speak. 

"Fine. Do you know why you're hear?" 

"......No." 

BJ lowed his voice to a whisper. "Quistis, I know you might not believe me right now, but I want to help you." 

"........." 

"You're in great danger Quistis, we all are. You need to get yourself and your friends out of this city." 

"C-Can't." 

"This is your last chance. Leave before you get too involved." 

"........." 

"Look, Quistis this thing isn't what it appears to be. If you get involved you'll be killed... or worse." 

"...Worse?" 

"One of your friends has already been caught the in crossfire." 

"What?" 

Garrison spoke up from the back of the room. "Yeah, last I heard he'd been transferred from the military wing of the hospital to some secret location about 5 days ago. No one knows where he is. Not even the police." 

BJ nodded in agreement. "They may not have killed him yet, but they will destroy him in other ways." 

"Who are you talking about?" 

The two men looked at each other. "I think we've said enough for one night. Garrison, untie her legs." BJ walked over and picked up a syringe from the nearest table. "I trust that this conversation of ours shall not be mentioned to anybody else." Quistis eyed the needle as it pierced the pale skin of her lower arm. She tried to lift her head to get look at their faces, but her whole body had gone limp, then there was nothing but darkness. 

When Quistis woke up again the next day, she was lying in her hotel room, her wounds cleaned and bandaged. Resting her head back down on the pillow, she looked up at the window, hypnotized by rays of light streaming through the curtains. The events of the previous night where foggy, but it was slowly coming back to her. The dinner, the gateway, the attack. It was slowly becoming clear. Sitting up, she looked down at her bruised wrists, where the ropes had dug into her skin before turning her head to look at her reflection in the mirror beside her bed. _'What am I supposed to do know?'_

I hope you all like this chapter because it's one of my favorites. I'm always reading fanfiction where Quistis is a complete basketcase who can no longer cope with life. Don't misunderstand me, I think most of them are really good stories, but I've always seen Quistis as someone who is more likely to kick a guys ass, rather than cry on his shoulder. 


	11. Scoping

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Eleven_

Holding her head high Leanne walked through the front entrance of the Hotel. The woman behind the counter looked up from the paperwork she was completing and smiled at the young reporter. 

"Can I help you dear?" She asked. 

"Yes, I was wondering if you rented out the bar for private functions?" 

"Oh, I don't really know dear. You'll have to ask the manager downstairs." 

"Well, I tried but no one was there, so I came up here." 

"In that case you might want to come back in a little while." She started flicking through the pages in front of her, indicating that their conversation was over. Leanne rolled her eyes, she was not going to be dissuaded so easily. Without another word she extended her arm over the counter and slammed her hand down on the papers. 

"Listen lady, I don't have time for this. If you can't answer my question, then go find someone who can." 

The woman stared at Leanne in disbelief. How could someone with such an innocent appearance be so vicious? 

Leanne continued to stare the woman in the eye. "Are your feet glued to the floor or something? I said I'm in a hurry?" 

"R-Right away miss." She stammered as she ran off to a back room. _'About time, I thought she'd never go.'_

Using a nearby chair to stand on she jumped over the counter and sat down at the monitor in front of her. Even though her knowledge of computers was nothing exceptional, it was easy enough to find the list of current guests. Scrolling down the list she finally came across what she was looking for. 

Surname: Trepe 

First Name(s): Quistis 

VIP: Y 

Room: 204 

Floor: 3 

Reaching behind her Leanne grabbed the key card and bolted for the elevator before anybody saw her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the steel doors close behind her. She pressed her forehead against the cold wall forcing herself to breath. Being a reporter meant she's had to tell a few lies, but she'd never done anything this serious, never anything... illegal. Hearing the doors open she turned around and walked out into the hall. A few moments later she found the room she was looking for. Room 204. 

Leanne pressed her ear against the door to listen for any movent in the room. She heard nothing, but knocked just in case. She had no idea what she'd do if someone answered, but luckily no one did. Slowly she unlocked the door and stepped into the room. 

"Hello, anybody here?" Silence. Quickly she closed the door behind her and headed for the opposite end of the room where she found Quistis' suitcase. Most of the items had been unpacked however there where still a few bathroom items and articles of clothing left inside, but nothing of importance. Leanne continued her search, going through draws and cupboards but still finding nothing. Frustrated, the reporter kicked the side of the bed, moving the mattress slightly and unknowingly uncovered a folder that had been sloppily hidden. _'In too much of a hurry to hide these properly where we Miss Trepe?' _Lifting up the mattress with one hand she pulled out the file and laid it on top of the bed. She pulled out the two invitations, numerous police reports as well as clippings of all the newspaper reports written about the Deling murders. _'So you _are_ involved with this.' _Next was a list of functions Quistis would be attending, as well as a list of names. Leanne recognised many of them as wealthy business owners or members of the local council, but there where many she'd never heard of or could not place. The last thing she found where copies of what appeared to be police criminal files. _'Suspects? But a lot of these names appear on that list... Surely they don't suspect all of those people. Many of them are some of Deling's most respected businessman.' _Glancing down at her watch she realised she'd been there for over 15 minutes. 

"Shit!" Quickly she photographed all the items of use to her and placed the documents back under the mattress. Checking first to make sure the hallway was empty she slid out of the room and started to run towards the elevator. It seemed like an eternity before she got there but before she could even reach the buttons on the wall, the doors slid open and a figure casually walked out in front of her. He paused in front of the startled reporter, eyeing her suspiciously. Leanne could only stare up at his face, unable to take her eyes off his scowling mouth or the scar that ran over the bridge of his nose. It took a moment for her to realise who was standing before her. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Sorry Mr Leonhart, I didn't mean to stand in your way." 

"No. I meant what were you doing back there?" 

"Well I... I was visiting a friend." 

Squall simply raised his eyebrows. "That's funny, considering that the only three rooms down there are occupied by colleagues of mine." He managed to hide his amused look, but they both knew that she'd been caught. 

Leanne eyes moved down to the floor, allowing her to inspect the gunblade that hung from his hip. _'I guess a fights out of the question. Not that the gunblade would have any effect on the outcome.' _"All right, there's no point in lying." 

"......." 

"I... I just wanted to catch a glimpse of one the famous SeeD's. I figured that if I hung around here long enough one was bound to show up, and I was right. It was a pleasure to meet you Mr Leonhart but I really must be going, I've already taken an extra hour for my lunch break." Not wanting to give the surprised teen a chance to say anything more she bolted into the still opened elevator and quickly pressed the button for the lobby. 

Squall just stared as the doors closed. He didn't know who she was, but he knew she wasn't just some crazed fan. Her story was good, but it had a major flaw. _'How did she know what rooms we where staying in?' _Forgetting why he'd come up there in the first place, Squall headed back for the elevator. He was going to find out why she was _really _there. 

____________ 

Keeping his face hidden under the hood of his coat, Seifer maneuvered his way through the crowds of the arcade avoiding eye contact with anyone he passed. He knew it was risky, being out in public in broad daylight, but he didn't have a choice. While he didn't want to risk being caught by the Galbadian army, he couldn't just mope around Raijin's for the rest of his life. It'd been two days since he'd broken out of the military hospital, but so far he'd heard nothing of the nightclub, other than police where still investigating. There was no word about him or his escape and it was driving him insane. Something was not right and Seifer was determined to find out what it was. He planned on scoping out the nightclub during the day to figure out how he was going to break in that night. It was a risk, but if he kept his distance he shouldn't get caught. Ducking across the road he ran in the direction of the nightclub. Even though the investigation had been going on for well over a week there was still a lot of commotion around the area, and the nightclub still wasn't open to the public. He casually walked over and stood partially hidden by a group of trees near the police barriers. He knew he wouldn't be able to see much from out here but the amount of police around today would give him a good indication of how many would be around that night. He continued to scan the area for any details that may have been of use to him, but froze when he saw a person walking out of the front entrance. _'What the hell. Selphie? What the hell is she doing here? Why would Garden be getting involved?' _His eyes widened further when he saw the figure of a familiar blonde follow Selphie out of the building. _'This can't be happening.'_

______________ 

Quistis blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. It may have been midday but the nightclub was practically pitch black, and she'd been in there for over an hour. She and Selphie had been assigned to accompany Sgt. Wallace on his next trip to Guardian Nightclub, informing him that it was simply for 'curiosities sake', so as not to arouse too much suspicion. Luckily the Galbadian Police where a discreet group, so they could walk around freely without having to answer too any questions. 

Unfortunately there was nothing she found in there that wasn't already in one of the many reports she'd read. However, the state of the club was much worse than she's expected. The bodies had been cleaned up but the rooms where still a mess. Broken furniture was scattered over the floor, many walls where riddled with bullet holes and in some cases, walls where falling apart where explosives had been used. It would take the owner months and tens of thousands of dollars to get the building back up to code. 

"So, what do you think?" Selphie asked. 

"I think we're wasting our time. Forensics has already gone over this area with a fine tooth comb. And besides, this isn't directly linked to our mission." 

"I know, but I still agree with Squall. It's a little suspicious that this occurred around the same time as the other murders. It's still worth checking out." 

"We've checked it out, but we're no better off than we were before." 

"Well, what do we do know? There have been no further murders, and there's still no sign of conflict amongst any of the other suspects." 

"........" 

"Quistis, we've been here for three days and we've already hit a wall." 

"There's been a rumor going around that the owner of this nightclub has had to turn to a some old friends for a loan to fix this place up." 

"So?" 

"That's a big loan, 80 000 minimum. Besides a bank, who do you think would lend a struggling businessman that kind of cash?" 

"I thought you said this didn't relate to our mission." 

"You said so yourself, we've hit a wall, and this seems to be our only option at the moment." 

"Good point. I'll go talk to the Sergeant and see what he knows." 

"All right, I'll give Irvine a call and ask him to find out what he can. He's still got a few connections in this town." 

"OK, back in a minute." Selphie turned around and ran back into the nightclub. 

Quistis removed her mobile phone from her belt and dialed Irvine's number. While waiting for him to answer Quistis looked around at her surroundings. Her mind began to wonder as she thought about the last few days. She hadn't told anybody about what happened that night, but she had expressed her concern to Squall that something was wrong. He had dismissed her saying that she was being paranoid. Although this had angered her, she had kept her mouth shut and simply requested that they all be careful. She'd gotten a few strange looks from them, but they all knew not to take her lightly. She rarely said anything that didn't need to be said. 

"Kinneas." 

"Irvine it's Quistis. I need you to do a background check on David Osmand for me." 

"The nightclub owner?" 

" Yeah, and find out where he got the financing for the nightclub from." 

"Sure. Why?" 

"Just a hunch." Quistis' trailed off as she spied something out of the corner of her eye. Someone was staring at her. Turning her head she noticed a man half hidden by a police car wearing a light brown full length coat. His face was partially hidden by the hood, but she could still sense something about him. Something that sent a chill down her spine. She hadn't realised she'd been staring back until she saw him slink into the trees. 

"Quistis?!" 

"Huh?" 

"Come back to earth Quisty, I said I should have that information for you by tonight." 

"Oh, thanks. I'll talk to you later." 

"Yeah you to." 

She placed her phone back on her belt and looked up at the trees again, but he was well and truly gone. _'Who was that?'_

______________ 

_'Dammit! How could I let her see me? Well done Seifer, why don't you just walk up to the nearest cop and shout ARREST ME!!' _Seifer continued to berate himself until he got back to Raijin's. Walking inside the house he proceeded to shout out several profanities until Raijin walked into the room. 

"What the hell are you yelling about." 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Tell you what?" 

"That _they're_ in town." 

".........." 

"Raijin!" 

"I thought I would be better if you didn't know, ya know? And besides I never _actually _expected you to find out." 

"How the hell could I _not_ find out." 

"Well I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to go walkin' out in public. That's suicide man." 

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do?" 

"Just wait for it to blow over." 

"This isn't going to just blow over Raijin. If I don't find out what's going on before those fucking know it all's do, I'm screwed." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

There you go, Quistis and Seifer finally meet......... Well kinda. As usual just review and tell me what you think. I'm still looking for ideas so if you've got any I'd love to hear them. 


	12. Evidence

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Twelve_

Squall placed his head in his hands and sighed. He'd been sitting on the lobby couch for five minutes waiting for the attendant to return. He'd come downstairs to find out information about the woman he'd run into earlier but the attendant had been engaged in a heated discussion with what he assumed was the manager of the hotel. After noticing Squall's presence they had moved into a back room to complete their discussion and had yet to return. _'Whatever she's in trouble for it must be serious.' _He'd overheard fragments of the conversation before they'd noticed him. The manager was saying something about his busy schedule and how he shouldn't be disturbed unless he was _really _needed. However the woman was insisting that someone had harassed her just before but they must've left before either of them had returned. _'Harassed? But that girl wouldn't have?... Would she?'_

__"This is your last warning, even if she _had _harassed you it was most likely because she had a reason." The manager snapped as he walked out into the lobby. 

"But..." 

"Enough! I'm already paying you overtime, get back to work." 

The woman nodded obediently before walking back behind the counter. Most people, after noticing how distraught the woman was, would've walked away and left her in peace, but Squall was in no mood to be kind to anyone. Marching up to the woman he waited for her to notice him before he spoke. 

"Yes sir, can I help....." 

"A woman came into the hotel this morning, just before twelve. Do you recall anybody inquiring about our rooms at that time?" 

"Y-your rooms sir?" The woman looked up at his face. "Oh Mr Leonhart my apologies, I didn't recognise you. No, no one has asked about any rooms on your floor." 

"Did you see anyone come in about that time?" 

"Well yes, a woman did come by around then, a young girl, about your age, perhaps a bit older. She was asking about the bar downstairs, wanted to rent it out. Well, that's what she said." 

Squall raised an eyebrow at the woman's comment. 

"Were you in the room the entire time she was here?" 

The woman began rubbing the back of her neck. It was obvious she did not want to discuss this. 

"No, I could not help the young lady with her inquiry, so I went to find the manager." At this point the woman looked like she was about to burst into tears. "But when I returned she was gone... and." She paused to take a deep breath 

"And?" 

"She'd left this behind." The woman said as she reached behind the counter and pulled out a small knapsack. "I don't know what's in there. I figured she'd come back for it later so I didn't open it." 

Squall picked up the bag and examined it closely. 

"This girl, what did she look like?" 

"Umm, she was average height, long dark brown hair, fair skin...." 

"I meant her clothes." 

"Oh, well let's see. I can't really remember, but they were very casual clothes. I do remember she was wearing very bizarre bracelet, a sort of....." 

"Serpent." 

"Yes, that's it. Do you know her?" 

"Do you mind if I hold on to this?" Squall asked, holding up the bag. 

"I'm sorry sir I'm not allowed." 

"You were told to cooperate with us were you not?" Squall mentally kicked himself. He did want to abuse his authoritative powers over the woman but he was running out of patience. 

"Oh sir I apologise but....... Will you be returning it to her?" 

"Yes." _'Eventually' _"Thank you for your help." Squall walked back to the elevator without saying another word. 

__________________ 

The cold night air stung his eye's and throat as he crouched low in the bushes, waiting for the officers to pass. Once he saw their torch lights disappear he swiftly moved from his hiding space and out into the open. Seifer was dressed entirely in black, from his heavy combat boots to the hooded coat that hid his face. Obviously he didn't have his hyperion with him, but Raijin had supplied him with a handgun and an army knife. It wasn't much but he didn't intend on having to fight anyone. At least not tonight. 

Quickly he crept around to the side of the building. There were only two entrances into the nightclub, the front door and the staff entrance at the back. Since the front entrance was guarded the back door was his best shot. He sat in the darkness analysing the events in front of him. The police officer only came by every three minutes, giving Seifer just enough time to break in without being seen. Without wasting a second he ran to the door and, using the army knife, cut the wire leading from the door to the internal alarm system. He was able to pick the lock easily enough, but wasn't prepared for what was inside. Seifer slid inside the back room but was greeted by an officer waving a nightstick in his face. 

"Don't move sonny, I've had it up to hear with you kids and your pranks." 

_'He thinks I'm here to vandalise the place. I guess being under 21 has it's advantages.' _Seifer grabbed the officers wrist with his left hand, spun around and flipped him over his shoulder. Snatching the nightstick from the officers hands Seifer hit him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold. Soundlessly he moved the now limp body behind piles of empty boxes at the back of the room. He checked the rest of the area for any more surprises. Satisfied that he was now alone Seifer moved on to the next room. He found himself in a hallway filled with markings, most likely where blood had been found. _'So the staff back here were killed too. I shouldn't be surprised, he'd always been careful not to leave behind any witnesses.'_ He silently ran down the hallway, passing various storage rooms and such before reaching the doorway to the main part of the nightclub. He paused briefly listening for any signs of activity. There shouldn't be anybody in the actual building during the night, but that cop had been there, so there was no telling who else was. He opened the door slightly and peered in. The room was completely dark, no lights at all. Stepping inside he felt his way along the wall making sure not to trip over anything. Even though this is where most of the people had been killed he had no interest in this room. He continued to feel his way around until he came across a door. _'This has to be it.' _Again, checking first for any signs of movement, Seifer slowly opened the door and stepped in. By now his eyes had adjusted to the dark allowing him to look over the familiar layout of the room. Everything was just as it was that night, the furniture, the marks on the wall. There was even a small hole in the wall were he'd been thrown up against it. _'I don't get it. Why would they accuse me when I was the one who was attacked? I tried to save those people dammit, not kill them._' He gritted his teeth in anger as memories of that night flooded his mind. 

_Seifer pulled at his jacket collar in an attempt to keep warm as he strolled through the entrance of the nightclub. The bouncers didn't even try to stop him, they knew what he was capable of. The heat of the room warmed his chilled features as the music surrounded him. He continued to walk through the dancing masses moving aside for no one and receiving many dirty looks because of it. But nobody dared approach him. Even those who did not know him could tell he was trouble, he had an aura about him that said 'do _not _mess with me'. And Seifer knew it, he was in no_ _mood to deal with anybody. He just wanted to get this over and done with and go home._ _He walked up to a back room guarded by to two men who's appearances_ _were more threatening than his own._

_"Name?"_ _One asked._

_"Almasy." He replied, his voice void of all emotion. The man nodded and moved aside to let him in. Seifer walked into the smoke filled room and examined his surroundings. There were three men sitting on the couch each being fawned over by at least one hired woman each. There were another two in the back right corner staring at him as he continued to walk to the center of the room. And then, to his left, sitting in an armchair surrounded by three women of his own was the reason he was there. A man they simply called Seta. He saw Seifer and rose to his feet, pushing the poor girl on his lap to the floor. She looked up angrily at him, but then crawled away. She was paid to be obedient. The two men stared at each other for several minutes, Seifer clutching hyperion tightly the entire time. He had wondered why they hadn't searched him, and now he knew. There was no point. All the men that surrounded him, as intoxicated as they were, were heavily armed and not afraid to put him in his place should he step out of line. It was then he knew that this was not going to turn out the way he'd hoped. No matter what he did, this night was going to end with blood shed._

_"You came. I'm impressed. It's seems you've grown a spine in the last two years." Seta noted._

_"What do you want?" Seifer growled._

_"Whoa, so touchy. Why don't you sit down, have a drink. Vodka?"_

_".........."_

_"Perhaps you'd like something a little... smoother." He said, referring to one of the women on the floor. Taking the initiative_, _she walked up to Seifer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing her lips to his neck._ _He took hold of the woman's neck and pushed her away. She squealed in annoyance before sauntering back behind her 'master' who simply chuckled at her actions. Seifer snarled at him, his eyes narrowing to slits. He detested the man before him, he'd like nothing more than to run the blade of his hyperion through Seta's chest, but he didn't dare. Not now._

_"You are wondering why you are here no?" Seta walked over to a table and poured himself a drink. Seifer said nothing. "Seifer, I know that we have not had the best history together. One might even go as far as to call us enemies."_

_Seifer smirked at his comment. "Might?"_

_"What I am trying to say is, I wish to mend the rift between us."_

_"What are you up to?"_

_"I just said......"_

_"Cut the bullshit. What do you really want?"_

_"You accuse me of being here for a dishonorable cause?"_

_"........"_

_"Then why, may I ask, are you here?"_

_"To stop whatever it is that you plan to do." At this, laughter erupted throughout the room._

_"I don't believe it. Seifer Almasy, turned decent. This is rich." Seta lit a cigarette as he walked over to Seifer. "Well, since you're being so honest, I shall be too." He paused to blow smoke in Seifer's face, unfased by his blank expression. "You had me put away for a long time my friend. A _very _long time. I've simply wish to repay the favour."_

_Something in Seta's voice set off an alarm Seifer's head. He dodged the fist aimed for his stomach just in time and reached for his gunblade. One of the men tried to get Seifer in a headlock from behind, but Seifer elbowed him the stomach then spun around and kicked him in the head sending him flying across the room. With hyperion unsheathed he took up a fighting stance and glared at the men before him. The first pulled a gun from his jacket and aimed it at Seifer's head. Without a second thought Seifer moved in and sliced the man's chest before using his left hand to punch the second man in the jaw. The next two reached for their guns but Seifer spun his leg out and knocked one off his feet then brought the blade of his hyperion just below the fourth man's chin._

_"Impressive." Seta sneered. Seifer knocked the man unconscious with a blow to the back of his head, before turning around to face Seta. He held one of the women against his chest and aimed the barrel of a gun at her head. Seifer pointed the end of the gunblade at his target, as he usually did before he attacked._

_"Don't be so hasty my friend. One false move and this dear child will meet an unfortunate end." The girl cried out hysterically as Seta pressed the end of the gun against her forehead._

_Seifer's expression remained unfased. "Let the girl go, this is between you and me. Don't get her involved."_

_"Oh but she _is _involved. If I can cause you suffering by ending her life, then this night wouldn't have been a complete failure."_

_Inwardly, Seifer winced. He had to find a way of getting the girls out of there. Suddenly an angry scream came from the corner of the room. The woman that was offered to Seifer threw herself at Seta. She pushed him to the ground and began clawing at his face, at the same time yelling at her friends to run. Seifer ran forward to help the woman but an explosion from the other side of the door shook the room forcing him off his feet. Screams could be heard followed by a series of gunshots. Seizing the opportunity Seta slapped the woman then threw her against the wall. She struggled to get to her feet but Seta pushed her to the floor. She screamed as he pulled a knife from his jacket and plunged it into her chest. _

_"You BASTARD!!" Seifer screamed as he got to his feet, but was knocked back down again by another force. The two men guarding the room had come inside and were now binding Seifer's hands behind his back. He struggled to break free but it was no use. Seta walked over, wiping the blood from his lower lip with his hand. He slowly bent down on one knee before roughly grabbing Seifer by the chin to look him in the face. "Well, what do you think?"_

_"Of what?"_

_"Of this." He said, referring to the screams coming from the main area. "It's a little over the top for a simple assassination but....."_

_"Assassination?"_

_"You don't have a clue do you Seifer? And here I thought you were a worthy adversary."_

_"You sick bastard!!" Seta stood up and kicked Seifer forcefully_ _on the shoulder. He continued to beat him until blood started to pour from his mouth. _

_"Why?" Seifer stammered._

_"Why what?!?" Seta snapped._

_"Why do all this? Why draw so much attention to yourself? Why not just kill me?"_

_At this Seta laughed. "Seifer my friend, death is a blessing. I want you to suffer."_

Seifer cringed at the memories, but didn't lose his cool. He continued to search the room. It may have seemed to be a futile attempt, the police would have collect all the evidence days ago, but there was one piece of evidence he'd hoped they'd missed. 

_Seifer, weakened by the beatings, looked over at Seta as he lit another cigarette._

_"Do not worry, this will be over soon. I have no doubt that the police will be here any second. But I'm afraid I will be long gone." Seta closed the gold cigarette case and placed it on the table behind him. He didn't see or hear it fall off the table_. _Seifer watched as it landed half hidden underneath the couch._

__

__Seifer found the couch he was looking for and bent down to look underneath it. He extended a gloved hand underneath the piece of furniture to feel around for the fallen object. He grinned to himself as he felt his fingers come in contact with a small metal object. Quickly he pulled it out to examine it. Seifer stared down at it's tacky gold design and quietly laughed to himself. It wasn't everything he needed to clear his name, but it was a start. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Damn, this chapter was a real pain to write. I'm not good with action sequences which is why I usually have to get Spaz to write them for me, but I haven't been able to get in contact with her recently so.......... Argh! You get the point. I hope it made sense. 

Also, I don't know much about crime scenes so I kept the details pretty vague, but I have a friend of a friend...etc who does that kind of work so I'll probably repost this chappie when I get my facts straightened out. 


	13. Finding Out

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Thirteen_

__

Quistis awoke with a start to the sound of the phone. She looked over at the alarm clock on her bedside table. 11:15pm. "What the?" Angrily she picked up the receiver and held it to her ear. "Trepe." 

"Shit, I didn't get you up did I?" 

"Danny? No. Well yes, but I haven't been asleep that long. What is it?" 

"I got something here you might want to see." 

"What is it?" 

"I can't tell you over the phone. My supervisors would kill me if they found out." 

"Found out what?" 

"Can you come down to the station?" 

"Now?" 

"Yeah, I'm the only one in this area of the building at the moment, aside from the normal security guards." 

"Damn, this better be worth it." 

"It is, believe me it is." 

____________________ 

Quistis rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them as she walked briskly down the alleyway. She didn't like walking around this part of town, especially at this time of night, but it was far more discreet than walking down the main street. _'I gotta be crazy, getting out of bed to walk through the back streets of Deling at midnight. I swear, if this is just another one of Danny's pranks I'll pummel his face until daybreak.' _Daniel Lait had once been a friend of hers from garden. He'd since dropped out and had joined the police force like his father had wanted. Unfortunately he'd been stuck with menial jobs such as assisting in the evidence room for the past year, with no hint of a promotion. Quistis had called him a couple of days ago asking him to keep an eye out for anything relating to the mission. Even though she considered him a friend, she wasn't too keen on relying on him for such things. He was well known around the garden as a prankster who never hesitated to cross the line. 

Reaching the police station she walked around to the side entrance where Danny was waiting for her. 

"Took you long enough." 

"Danny, after getting me to come down here in the freezing cold you are in no position to ..." Quistis glared at him angrily as he began to laugh. "What?" 

"Oh nothing. I just remembered that I'm on my break and could have picked you up." He smirked at her annoyed expression. 

"You little shit. You made me walk all the way down here for nothing!" 

"Shhh, keep your voice down Quistis. It was just a little joke." 

"Little?! I'm freezing my ass off here!" 

"Well if you stop talking we can go inside." He laughed. 

"I can't believe you'd pull a prank at a time like this... I see that Danny!" Quistis snapped at him as she caught him mimicking her behind her back." 

"Lighten up Quistis." He closed the door behind them. "Come on, evidence room is this way." 

He led them down the hall, then a flight of stairs before unlocking a door at, what Quistis assumed was the back of the station. Inside, the back of the room was sealed off by a glass wall. 

"Where's the guard?" Quistis asked. 

"I am the guard." 

"But I thought you said you were on a break." 

"Yeah, I am. But nobody else knows that." 

Quistis rolled her eyes. "You haven't changed a bit. You're going to get caught, just like you did when you skipped class back at garden." 

"Eh, what are they gonna do? Arrest me?" He smiled at his own joke before entering the back part of the room. 

"Is this it? You keep all the evidence here?" Quistis asked in disbelief. 

"Nah, this is where we keep the stuff we steal from the bums that get locked up for the night." 

"Not funny." 

"Sure it is, you're just cranky." 

"Danny!!" 

"Through here." He unlocked another door and led them into smaller room. The walls of this room were filled with items concealed in plastic bags or clear boxes. Towards the back was something that looked like an oversized safe. 

"This is where we keep the items of _real _importance." Danny said, unlocking the 'safe'. He leaned in and pulled out a long object concealed in a metal box. He placed it carefully on the table in the center of the room. 

"What is this?" Quistis asked. 

"They found it in a back room at the nightclub." 

"Daniel I've already gone over the evidence for that case, there's nothing I can use...." 

"You haven't seen this, it's been kept out of the reports. _I_ shouldn't even know about it. Sorta came across it by accident, then did a little researching to find out what it was from." Quistis walked over and began to open the lid, but Danny reached over and grabbed her wrist. 

"Wha..." Quistis looked up at him in surprise. 

"They say this belonged to the main suspect. The one that seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet." 

".........." 

"Just warning you." 

"... fine." Quistis opened the casing revealing the concealed item. Her hand flew to her mouth as she stared down at the object. "Hyperion." She continued to stare at the object in disbelief. 

"Quistis?" 

"It's not possible, it's not him." 

"Quistis....." 

"He's been living in FH for almost a year. He..." She looked up at Danny as he placed a file down on the table. "What is this?" 

"Details of the train run between Timber and Deling." He picked up the file and placed it in her hands. "It states the name and details of all passengers who traveled to Deling 24hrs before the Nightclub fiasco. Unfortunately Seifer's name is amongst them. He arrived at the station approximately two hours before the police arrived at the nightclub and there's no record of him making a return trip." 

"Why didn't I know about this?" 

"Like I said, it was left out of the report. Anything to do with Almasy wasn't included." 

"But how is that possible, it's illegal to omit details from...." 

"It's not as difficult as you think. As long as you have enough money and power....... the police are nothing but puppets." 

"But who would want this left out?" 

"Not entirely sure, but I do know that whoever altered the report doesn't have anything to do with the people who took him..." 

"Took him? What are you talking about." 

"I'm not even sure I know myself. It was known that the suspect was being held in the military ward of the hospital...." 

"Yes, I know all that. Who took him, and where?" 

"Don't know. The press know more than we do." 

Quistis rubbed the back of her neck. Now she knew what BJ had meant when he'd said a friend of hers was caught in the crossfire. "What makes you think that the reports and Seifer's disappearance are unrelated?" 

"Not unrelated, just carried out by different people." 

"What do you base this on?" 

"Whoever wanted Seifer out of the hospital was no civilian, he was collected by Galbadian officers, high ranking ones at that, and no one's been able to track 'em. However, whoever took him was not concerned with keeping his identity secret. If they were, you can bet the clothes on your back that no one would find out about it." 

"But you where able to find out about the gunblade and get a hold of the train timetable details." 

"Exactly, and just the fact that a low ranking officer like myself could stumble over something like this proves that whoever took care of this, didn't really know what they were doing." 

"So the person who wanted to keep Seifer's name out of this, did not have enough money or societal power to influence one of your bosses... So they turned to someone with a lower rank." 

"Which is why the job wasn't done correctly and these things where so easily found." 

Quistis began to rub the back of her neck again. It was something she'd begun to do more frequently lately. "This is bad. The press will undoubtedly find out about this, and when they do Seifer will be linked back to us. Our cover will be blown." 

"You don't know that..." 

"Then you don't know the media. Even if he has nothing to do with our mission, the press will make it seem otherwise." 

"Anything to get a front page story." 

"Exactly. I've got to find out what's going on here, and I think I know someone who could help. I'll pay him a visit before I go back to the hotel." 

"A little late to be making house calls isn't it?" 

"Time is an advantage we don't have." 

"Who's this person you're gonna go visit anyway?" 

"Just a friend of Seifer's. I think he still lives here." 

"Ok, and while you do that I can fax these details to Squall. He can..." 

"NO!!!" 

"What?" 

"Don't tell Squall. We can't let any of them know." 

"Why?" 

"Don't you see, if the commander finds out he'll do everything in his power to keep our mission a secret, regardless of how he has to do it." 

"For the love of Hyne!! Quistis, don't tell me you think that Squall would kill him." 

"No, he wouldn't do that, but from Squall's point of view, keeping our intentions secret is more important than proving Seifer's innocence." 

".............." 

"What?" Quistis looked at Danny curiously. 

"What makes you think he's innocent. We all know what Seifer is capable of." 

Quistis opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. _'Why did I say that? There is no reason for me to believe that Seifer's innocent.' _"He's innocent until proven guilty. I just want to make sure he has a fair chance. The people don't look too kindly upon those who had sided with the sorceress so readily." 

"Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say." 

"What does that mean?!" 

"Nothing. We'd better get out of here, there are security camera's just outside this door. We'll arise too much suspicion if we stay in here much longer." 

_________________ 

"Fuck this." Seifer had finally given up trying to sleep. It had been nearly an hour since he'd returned from the nightclub and he was still on a adrenaline high. He got to his feet and began pacing the room. _'I've done too much tonight. How can I possibly sleep_ _now?'_ He walked back over to the couch but spun around when a sound from outside caught his attention. _'Shit, someone's out the front.' _Quickly he walked to Raijin's door and lightly hit it once, then moved to the window to the left of the front door. He pressed his back against the wall and moved the curtain slightly with his hand. He could just make out a tall figure walking towards the door. Seifer's breath caught in his throat as the figure walked out of the tree shadow's, allowing the moonlight to show her face. _'Quistis. This isn't good.' _Raijin walked into the room with a confused look on his face, Seifer pointed to the front door then motioned for him to be quiet. Raijin nodded and moved closer to the door. Seifer hid himself on the other side of the door where he could hear everything, but still stay out of sight. His body stiffened as he heard her knock on the door. _'Why do I have a feeling that I've been busted.'_ He cringed at the thought of five or more trained SeeD's bursting in to arrest him the moment Raijin opened the door. 

Raijin waited a few moments then opened the door. 

"Instructor, what brings you to this part of town, and at this time?" Raijin asked, his voice clearly showing his irritation at being woken up. Seifer quietly laughed. Raijin hated to be woken up before midday and tended to act violently towards those who forgot that fact, Quistis had no idea what she was in for. 

"I apologise for waking you up Raijin, but I have a few questions to ask you." 

"What could you possibly want to ask me instructor?" 

"It's Quistis." 

"Whatever" 

"I want to ask you a few questions about Seifer." Seifer tensed up again and prepared himself for a fight. If she was here to take him in he wouldn't go quietly. 

"What do you want to know." 

"When did you last see him?" 

"Ten months ago, at FH. You know that Quistis." 

"What do you know about the attack at Guardian Nightclub?" 

"What's that got to do with Seifer?" 

"I don't know yet, that's where I hope you can help me." 

"I only know what I read in the newspapers, and there's been no mention of Seifer. He hasn't set a foot in Deling City, believe me, I would know." 

"Raijin, Seifer's gunblade was found at the nightclub, along with a lot of very dead people. Now, do you want to change you answer?" 

".........." 

"Look, I don't want to get him into trouble. I want to help him. So if you know anything please tell me." Raijin didn't speak for a long time. He was waiting for Seifer to say something, anything. Unfortunately it would seem that Quistis had noticed the long pause. "Can I come in?" She asked. 

"NO!!! Argh I mean, sure. Uh, just give me a minute to turn the lights on and.... er." Quickly he turned to Seifer as if to day 'what do you wanna do?' _'What are you doing Raijin? You're going to get us both in trouble.' _Seifer glared at Raijin before silently running into the bedroom. There was no way in hell he was going to accept help from the ex-instructor. "Umm, come on in instru... Quistis." With Raijin's bedroom door slightly open Seifer could watch her every move. 

___________________ 

"Have a seat." Raijin offered. Quistis walked over to the couch but didn't sit down. 

"Housing a guest?" 

"What?" 

"Is someone staying here?" Quistis asked, referring to the blanket and pillow that were lying near the couch. 

"No, I've been sleeping out here lately. T.V's out here." 

"Oh." 

"Drink." 

"No thanks." 

"I wasn't offering." Raijin filled a glass with a clear liquid and sculled it down. 

_'That's a big shot glass. What's he got to be nervous about?'_ Quistis thought. She took her time to look around the small house. It was like an apartment, with a lounge room and kitchen separated by a small bench, barely enough room to move, and then a small hallway opposite the end of the bench with three rooms with all their doors closed. Except one. She stepped closer to see if she could catch a glimpse of what was in the nearest room. Nothing but darkness, but then... 

"What do you want to know?" Raijin asked walking over to a seat opposite the couch. Quistis jumped at the sound of his voice. _'There's something in that room.'_ She sat down and looked Raijin in the eye. "I want to know the truth. When was the last time you saw Seifer?" 

"I told you, ten months ago." 

"Well then what do you know?" 

"Nothing." 

"Bullshit! You wouldn't have let me in if you didn't have something to say." 

"I let you in because I'm worried about Seifer. I want to know what _you _know about him." 

_'Hmph, Raijin's not as dumb as he looks. This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.' _"You're hiding something." 

"So what if I am. Your not being completely open yourself." 

Quistis sighed. He had her where he wanted her. If she wanted to get any information from him she would have to be completely honest. _'Well, not _completely _honest.' _"All right, I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what I know, then....." 

"Then I'll tell you what I know. I know how this works ya know." 

"Do I have your word." 

"Yes." 

"Seifer's gunblade was found at the nightclub after the attack. I don't know exactly why but because of that he's is know one of the main suspects. However, someone has been bending over backwards to make sure the local authorities don't find out about this. They've even gone as far as to hide the evidence and doctor the formal reports." 

"So that's why he wasn't mentioned in the papers. Someone's looking out for him?" 

"I doubt it. Whoever is doing this is probably more worried about themselves than Seifer. Perhaps they are worried that they could be identified through him." 

"So you're certain that Seifer didn't just pay someone do this for him." 

"Raijin, you know him better than I do. Do you really think he would do something like that." 

"I know he wouldn't, I'm just making sure you do as well." 

"Anyway, it's impossible for Seifer to have anything to do with that, he's been locked up this entire time." She looked over at Raijin as he looked around him, obviously uncomfortable with the situation. _'What are you hiding?'_ "All right, I've told you all I know." 

Raijin sighed. "Ok, here goes. Seifer's gunblade wasn't the only thing found at the Guardian Nightclub." 

".........?" 

"Apparently Seifer was found knocked unconscious on the floor in one of the nightclubs private room. That's why he's one of the main suspects." 

Quistis looked at him in disbelief. ".......... Seifer....... He was there? So the authorities weren't jumping to conclusions. How do you know this?" 

"Someone told me." 

"No shit. Who?" 

Raijin inhaled sharply before replying. "Can't tell you." 

"You gave me your word..." 

"I gave _them_ my word too ya know. You've put me in a bit of a situation instructor." 

"I'm sorry, but I _have _to know. This situation is getting dangerous." 

"You think I don't know that! Look, I've told you all I can." 

"Raijin, if I find out your lying to me......" 

"Quistis if I knew anymore than that do you really think I'd be sitting here talking to you. Hell no! I'd be out doing what I could to help Seifer!" 

"All right I believe you, but here, at least take this." Quistis stood up and handed him a small piece of paper. "It's the number to my mobile. Call me if you find out anything." 

"Riiight, I'm sure Squall and his buddies would just _love _to here from me." 

"No, this is my _personal _number. Squall and the others don't even know I'm here. This is just between you and me." 

"You gone AWOL instructor?" 

Quistis laughed at his question. "No, just trying to find my own answers." 

"Is this why you're all here? For Seifer?" 

"No, we came to Deling for a different reason." 

"What for?" 

"Publicity. What else?" She said with a sad smile. Raijin simply smirked. 

"What a pathetic excuse. You're losing your touch instructor." 

"Just call me if you find out anything." 

"Yeah Yeah, I will." 

Quistis walked towards the door but turned around at the last minute. "By the way, have you ever heard of a couple of men called Garrison and BJ?" 

"No. Why?" 

"Nothing. Just wondering" She opened the door and stepped outside. 

"Hey Quistis." Quistis turned around to face Raijin. "You'll tell me if you find out anything else about Seifer wont ya?" 

She smiled at him before turning back around. "Of course I will." She said as she closed the door. She walked down the pathway then started to make her way back into town. __

_'There was somebody in that room and I have a feeling I know who it is.'_

____________________ 

As soon as she left Seifer came running back into the room. "What were those names?!" He asked in a panic. 

Raijin yawned then walked back into the kitchen. "That was close. Thought she'd busted us for a second there." He poured himself another drink and sat down on the couch. 

"Raijin! The names!" 

"Oh, ummm.... Garrison and BJ.... Hey!! Where are you going?" Raijin asked as Seifer began putting on his coat and shoes. 

"I've gotta follow her." 

"What?! We just got rid of her." 

"BJ is an old..." Seifer paused for a moment to think of the right word to use. "..acquaintance of mine." 

"So? Shit! You're not thinkin of confronting her about it are ya?" 

"Get fucked. I'm gonna see if anyone's following her. If BJ's contacted Quistis in some way than chances are he won't have left her alone. He'll have someone tailing her for sure." Seifer picked up the handgun and placed it inside his jacket then hung the army knife back on his belt. 

"What do you care?" Raijin asked. 

"Because BJ might be the only person who can get me out of this mess!" Seifer half yelled as he ran out the front door. He jumped over the fence then continued to run in the direction Quistis had gone, making sure to keep himself as hidden as possible. When he could just make out Quistis' figure he slowed his pace to a walk. The area around him was quiet with the exception of her footsteps. She continued to walk out of the suburb area's and into the main part of town. So far Seifer hadn't noticed a single person, other than himself, following her. _'Shit maybe I was wrong. I should probably turn back.' _He sighed in annoyance before coming to a stop, but before he turned around he noticed Quistis walking into a small side street, followed by three other men. _'This can't be good.' _Seifer thought, as he continued to follow in Quistis' direction. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ok this one's a bit longer than my other chapters. I hope this one's better than my last chapter. I really didn't like the way that turned out. 

I also want to say thanks to frost for the suggestion. I'll try to use it in later chapters. 


	14. Attacked

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Fourteen_

Quistis slowed down as she tried to listen for any sounds coming from behind her. Someone had been following her since she's left Raijin's neighborhood and she wasn't about to lead them back to the hotel. She looked up at the wall ahead of her and smirked. The lights from behind her were casting three shadows, her own and two others. _'Amateurs. Still, I'd better end this now before it gets out of hand.'_ Quickly Quistis spun around and cracked her whip at the feet of her stalkers. They jumped in surprise and tried to run back in the opposite direction. With the flick of her wrist the first man fell to the ground, screaming in pain from the now bleeding laceration across his back. The second man just looked on in surprise as Quistis prepared herself for her second attack, but what happened next threw her completely off guard. He laughed. 

"Stupid bitch. You shouldn't have done that." He said as he raised his arms. 

_'What is he.........?' _"Shit!" Quistis jumped out of the way as he aimed a fire spell just above her head. _'Lucky for me he can't aim.' _It wasn't until three more people appeared behind her that she realised he wasn't aiming for her. _'He was signaling for reinforcements. Damn, I should've seen that coming.'_ Trying to plan her next move Quistis analysed her situation. The two in front of her wouldn't be too much trouble, even though the one she'd wounded was pulling himself to his feet, but the other three would be a different story. Two men and a woman all armed with handguns and staffs strapped to their backs. Even if the first two were amateurs, these three definitely weren't. Their fighting stances and choice of weapons indicated sophisticated martial arts training, and there was no telling what other skills they possessed. Her first decision was to take out the two idiots in front of her. A blizzard spell knocked the one that was laughing at her against a wall and the second one never even saw her move as the whip split the skin across his face causing a blood curdling scream to erupt from his throat. Quistis heard the other three jump into action as they surrounded her in a triangle formation. The woman looked her directly in the eye, challenging her to make a move. Without a moments hesitation she kicked the man to the back left of her roughly in the stomach then rammed her right elbow into the other mans neck as he tried to attack her from behind. The first tried to kick her in the shins from where he lay on the ground, still clutching his stomach, but she jumped up to avoid his leg and swiftly kicked him in the stomach again. The second then wrapped his arms tightly around her upper body and rammed her body up against the wall where he began to punch her repeatedly on the face and upper body. Quistis tried to fight him off but he grabbed her by the neck and forced her harder up against the wall. He raised his fist back and smirked down at her bloodied face. Quistis closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see someone grasping her attackers hand. The man recoiled as a fist connected sharply with his jaw. Quistis hands flew to her throat as she gasped for breath, but not before looking at the person who had saved her. She couldn't see the face but she recognised the coat. _'It's that guy from the nightclub, the one that was staring at me.'_

____________________________ 

With the second man out cold he turned his attention to the one still kneeling on the ground. Quickly Seifer ran over and picked him up by the collar and rammed his head into the wall. Satisfied that both men were no longer any trouble he turned his attention to the woman, who, he noticed, had yet to attack. She pulled out her staff and held it in front of her with both hands. Seifer took out the army blade and held it in his right hand. It was no gunblade, but it would have to do. He ran towards her, and swung the blade at her chest. She jumped to his left then tried to knock him over with her staff, but he jumped over it and landed behind her. Seifer kicked the back of her legs forcing her onto her back but she swung her staff around, the impact knocking him onto his knees. Both jumped back onto there feet and took up defensive stances. This time she made the first move, running forward aiming the end of the staff at his head. Seifer moved his head out of the way and grabbed the end her weapon. Keeping hold of it he pulled her to him, and pushed his body up against hers. She looked at him in surprise before stumbling back and falling to her knees. 

___________________ 

Quistis looked on in awe, she'd never seen that kind of fighting outside of Garden. His face was still hidden under the hood of his coat, but there was no mistaking the physique, or the aggressive fighting moves. She watched the fight unfold before her like a dance, each opponent trying to outdo each other with their violent moves. Quistis fell to her knees as the scenes continued to play out. She saw the woman fall back, she saw the blade in his hands and the blood flowing onto the ground where she lay. He walked towards the wounded figure, intending to finish what he started. A desperation arose in Quistis' mind, she couldn't let him kill her. 

"Stop!! It's over, you've won. What more do you want?" He looked over at Quistis as she pushed herself slowly to her feet. "Don't do it. It's not worth it. You kill her now and you'll only make things worse." 

He looked down at the ground, contemplating her words. His gaze moved to the woman as he muttered something to her that Quistis could not here. Quistis sighed in relief as she saw her stand shakily to her feet and run off into the street, clutching her wound. 

"You always did have a way with words." He said facing away from her. 

"I said nothing you didn't already know." 

"Do you always hang out with such a lively group?" 

"Always. Why did you save me?" She said shakily. 

"Who said I saved you?" 

"..................." 

"Your friends here have something I need, you just got in the way." 

"Well, you've lost them now." 

"She won't get far, not with that wound." 

"Then why are you still here?" 

"I can't let anybody find the body of a dead SeeD in a alley like this, the press would have a field day with it," He pulled back his hood and turned around to face her. "and publicity is the last thing I need right now." 

Quistis glared at him in shock before raising her hand to her neck. Her eyes widened with fear as her fingers touched a small metal object protruding from the skin below her ear. 

"They're called hook darts. The may look like small disks but they've got curved spikes about 3 mm deep hooked into your skin. They're a bitch to pull out. I should know, they've been used on me many times." Seifer said, his voice void of all emotion. 

Quistis screamed in agony as she pulled the object from her neck and threw it to the ground. She tried to place a hand to her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding but her body began to shake uncontrollably. "W-What's happening to m-me?" 

"Not sure, it depends on what type of poison they used on the tips. It might only be a sedative, but then......" 

"Aaah!" Quistis screamed out as the pain gripped her body like a vice. She fell to her side gasping for breath. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as the pain became unbearable, her mind screaming for some form of relief. Slowly her surroundings began to fade into a blur as she tried desperately to stay conscious, but it was no use. She wasn't even aware when a pair of strong arms gently picked her up and carried her out of the alleyway. 

_____________________ 

Leanne yawned as she stretched out her arms and stared up at the ceiling. She'd been surfing the net and talking to contacts for the last six hours, trying to get every piece of information about the SeeD's that she could get her hands on. So far she knew the date that they'd arrived in Deling, any recreational activities they'd been engaged in and any public events they were to be attending, but other than that and a list of names, she had nothing on them. _'This is ridiculous! They must be doing something, they've been here for almost four days now.' _She turned her gaze back to her laptop as a popup appeared on the screen telling her she had mail. She checked to see who the message was from but didn't recognise the address. Eventually curiosity got the better of her and she opened the message. There was only a couple of sentences but it was enough to make her yell out with joy. 

_He's broken out._

_She's being stalked._

_They will have to work together to see this through to the end._

Below the message was two separate photos, one of Quistis entering the side entrance of the police station followed by a dark haired officer and another of Seifer breaking into the back of the nightclub. _'I can't believe it. Almasy and Trepe working together. But who sent this? It could be fake. Who knows when these photos were taken.' _Not wanting to jump to conclusions Leanne clicked on reply and sent a message back. 

_-Who are you? How do you know this, and why are you telling me?_

Almost instantly she got a reply. 

_-I'm just someone who wants to know the truth, like you._

"Hmph, that really answers my question." She said sarcastically. 

_-How did you get these photos?_

She waited again for a reply. 

_-You need my help._

"Like hell!" She fumed, before replying. 

_-What makes you think I need your help?_

Five minutes passed and there was no reply. "This is getting ridiculous." She said to herself as she ran her hands through her long brown hair. She jumped when she finally got a response. 

_-The SeeD's are professionals. No reporter can expose them on their own._

"That's what you think." 

_-What makes you so sure?_

After that, there was no reply. _'Who was that?'_ Leanne got up and began pacing the room. _'All right, let's say this guy is telling the truth, what do I do now?' _She smiled wickedly as her eyes fell upon the list of social functions the SeeD's would be attending. Quickly she ran towards the phone and dialed the number of her bosses assistant. 

"Hmmm." came a muffled voice from the other end. 

"Anna? It's Leanne, I need you to........." 

"Shit, Leanne it's three in morning!" 

Leanne nearly dropped the receiver at the tone of her voice. She'd forgotten that it was now morning. "Crap, I'm sorry I didn't realise the time." 

"You never do." 

"What?" 

"Never mind, what do you want?" 

"I need you to get me invited to a party." 

"..............." 

"The senator is holding a formal.... umm.... thing in two days...." 

"Banquet." 

"A banquet? For 300 people, man that's a lot of food........" 

"Get to the point." 

"I need you to get me an invitation to it." 

"What!? Are you mad? An invitation, for a nobody, to such a prestigious event in only two days?" 

"I thought you were good at this sort of thing?" Leanne asked with a smirk. 

"Well...... I am.... but..." 

"Great, so you'll do it then." 

"I didn't say th......." 

"Oh, and Gary doesn't have to know about this." She shivered at the thought of her boss finding out about her little 'investigation'. 

"No way, I'm not getting caught up in one of your little schemes. Not this time." 

"But....." 

"You almost got me fired last time." 

"That won't happen. I promise. Look, Anna I _really _need this. Gary's been sticking me with dead end stories that are doing nothing for my career. I don't wanna be working for him ten years from now. Hell, I don't wanna be working for him ten _minutes _from now." 

"..................." 

"Please?" 

"......... All right, I'll see what I can do." 

"Thank you!! You won't regret this!" 

"I already do." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

At first I wasn't too happy with the idea of Seifer coming to Quistis' rescue because it makes her look like she can't defend herself (and we all know that's just NOT true) so I tried to make it look like she did a fair bit of the fighting herself. Seifer just finished them off. In the end I think it turned out pretty well. A big thank you to frost for the idea. 


	15. Dreams

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Fifteen_

__

"She can't be far, maybe we could go look for her?" Rinoa wailed to the group. They had been called to Squall's room when Selphie had discovered an hour ago that Quistis was not in her room. 

"Calm down Rin, don't call out the search party yet. She hasn't been gone long, it's only 9:30." Irvine yawned. "She's probably just gone out for a walk." 

"Normally I'd agree with Irvine but it just isn't like Quistis to walk off without telling anyone, especially during a mission." Squall stated. "However, let's wait for Zell to get back before we jump to any conclusions." 

Squall had sent Zell down earlier to ask the receptionist is she had seen Quistis. He returned a moment later, his expression serious. "Quistis left here around midnight. No one has seen her since." 

"I knew it! Something's wrong!" Rinoa said, jumping out of her seat. Squall stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"Calm down Rinoa. Zell, did the receptionist talk to her, did she say where Quistis was going?" 

"No, in fact Quistis had waited for the receptionist to leave the room before she left. It was a customer trying to check in that saw her." 

"Why on earth was someone checking in at midnight?" Selphie asked. 

"Businessman probably." Squall replied. "Trains get in at odd hours." 

"Ok, the question is, what do we do now? We can't just look for her around town." Irvine said. "It'd draw too much attention." 

"Screw that! Nobody knows why we're really here." Rinoa cried out. "We can keep it discreet. People go missing all the time?" 

"It's too risky." Squall said calmly. "And besides, somebody might all ready be on to us." 

"WHAT!?" Zell yelled. "Are you saying our covers blown already?!" 

"Not quite. There was a reporter sneaking around here yesterday. Around our rooms." 

"How did you know she was a reporter? Did she talk to you?" Selphie asked. 

"Not exactly. She'd left her bag behind in the lobby." 

"So? That doesn't mean anything." Irvine stated, walking to the center of the room. "Journalists stalk us all the time. What's so sus about this one?" 

"She's a political journalist, she doesn't, or rather shouldn't, care about celebrities." 

"This could be bad." Zell collapsed onto an armchair near the door. 

Squall sighed as he placed his head in his hands. "All right, for now we'll split into teams. Irvine and I will continue with the mission. Selphie and Rinoa, you start looking for Quistis, but keep it discreet. And Zell..." 

"Yeah?" Zell jumped out of his chair, excited at being singled out. 

"Track down the journalist. You'll find her details in here." Squall threw the bag at Zell. "Find an excuse to get close to her. Find out who she works for and what she knows." 

Zell started rummaging through the bag. "Well that's easy; she works for the Galbadian Times, it says so right here...." 

"I mean her direct boss. I need names. Now, are there any questions?" No one answered. "All right, meet me back here at 11pm, regardless of whether you've found anything or not. And if you can't make it, contact me. We don't want anybody else disappearing. Dismissed." 

Everyone started moving out of the room, soon only Irvine and Squall were left. 

"Squall, do you have anything else on the murders?" 

"Not a damn thing." 

"Well, I think Quistis was on to something." 

"....? What?!" 

"Yesterday she called me and asked for background information on David Osmand." 

"And?" 

"Well I did what she asked and found out some pretty interesting things. For one, Osmand has been accused of grand larceny three times, but was never convicted." 

"How is that possible?" 

"Certain evidence turned up at the last minute, but on the last trial.... well, let's just say a key witness found herself in a tight situation." 

"Tight situation?" Squall asked, beginning to get annoyed. 

"Yeah, between a gun and a hard place." 

Squall rolled his eyes at Irvine's comment. "So she was killed?" 

"That's what I said. And it gets better. Where Osmand got the financing for the club still remains a mystery, but I've managed to trace the funds he got for the repairs." Irvine pulled out a few papers and handed them to Squall. "That's the details for a Mr Jacob Chant. He's a major loan shark in these parts." 

"So? Lending money to people isn't a crime Irvine." 

"I know, but check this out, three months ago Benson & Sons nearly went bankrupt. The bank wouldn't lend them any money so they went to Chant." 

"Ok, you've got my attention. Benson & Sons is a multimillion dollar law firm, how on earth could a local loan shark cough up enough cash to save such a corporation?" 

"That's my point; Chant's obviously 'dealing' in something else. No pun intended." 

"What other information do you have on him?" 

"Not much, although I do know he has been making several 'business' trips to Dollet recently." 

"Do you know why?" 

"No, I only got this information this morning at the train station. But I do know that he never travels alone. He's always accompanied by a woman; the same one every time." 

"What do you know about her." 

"Only her name, Tasmin Quen." 

"Anything else?" 

"No, that's it." 

"All right, I'll locate Chant and try to find more information about his business, you find out everything you can about the woman." 

"Will do." Irvine picked up his hat and walked out the door. "Seeya at 11." 

____________________________ 

Zell knocked impatiently on the apartment door. He'd been standing there for three minutes waiting for someone to answer. Strangely the idea that no one could be home never occurred to him. Once he heard scuffling from inside the room he ceased his attack on the front door. 

Moments later Leanne flung the door open and stared directly at Zell, "What!?" 

Zell's jaw flew open at what he saw. She stood in the doorway, dripping wet and wearing nothing but I towel. "Ah.... I .......think this belongs to you." He spoke quickly, covering his eyes as he held out the bag towards her. 

Leanne blinked in surprised, but smiled as she saw the SeeD's blushing face. "Mr Dincht?" 

"Zell" 

Leanne laughed. "Thank you. Where did you find it?" 

"You left it at the hotel." Zell said quickly. 

Leanne thanked hyne that Zell was still covering his face. Her shocked expression would have only provoked him to ask questions. 

"Umm, give me a minute will you?" Leanne disappeared into the room and returned a moment later, fully dressed. 

"Better?" 

"Actually I preferred you with your clothes off." Zell whispered under his breath. 

"What was that?" Leanne asked. 

"Argh, never mind!" 

"Thanks for finding this." She said, holding up the knapsack. 

"Oh, I didn't find it." 

"..ok, so who did?" 

"Squall, well actually the receptionist did, but Squall made me return it." 

"Oh, does Squall always have you running around doing little errands like this?" Leanne asked, a sly smile forming on her face. 

"Wha? No no, he was just busy. I had nothing else better to do so" 

"Do you want to come in?" 

"Ummm." _'Yes you do you dickhead. She's practically doing your job for you.' _"Umm, sure. Why not." 

"All right, come in then." Leanne's eyes widened as she saw the state of her room. Files on the SeeD's were strewn all over the lounge. Without another thought she quickly stepped outside, pushing Zell back, and shut the door. "Aaaa, on second thought. umm I'm kinda hungry. Why don't you let me buy you lunch." 

_'A free lunch!? Hell yes!!!' _"..ok." 

"All right, come on then." 

"Don't you wanna lock your door or something?" 

"No! It's ok, come on. If we hurrywe can get a seat at the new French restaurant down town. La something." 

"La something?" Zell raised his eyebrow at her obvious attempt to cover something up. But he decided to play along and let her continue dragging him down the hall towards the stairs. 

"Hey, I failed French in high school, do you know what it's called then genius?" 

"Umm, well no but." 

"It's settled then, La something it is." 

Zell just laughed. "Ok, but don't we need reservations?" 

"Nah, I can get us in. I've got the perfect plan." 

_______________________________ 

Quistis crouched low to the ground, trying to steady her breathing. All around her was complete darkness, a nothingness that seemed to envelop her like a thick fog. Screams could be heard off in the distance, screams calling for help, calling for her. She could not tell if it was a man or a woman. It did not even sound human. Quistis shivered as the sound began to move. It came closer, so close she felt she could almost touch it. Ignoring her instincts to run, she felt along the ground, moving towards the sound. The screaming became more desperate by the second. Now Quistis could feel hands clawing at her skin and clothes. She reached for her whip but grabbed only air. She was unarmed and vulnerable, her survival instincts taking over she swung at the air with her hands. Standing to her feet she ran in the opposite direction. Her thumping heart threatened to explode out of her chest as she pushed herself forward. She knew something was behind her yet she dared not turn around for fear of what she would find. 

Quistis continued to run, ignoring the burning sensation in her thighs, the painful breaths she was forced to take and the fear growing in the pit of her stomach. Straining her eyes to see beyond the darkness, she cried out with relief as the familiar glow of daylight glimmered slightly in the distance. Whatever sort of hell this was, she would soon be leaving. 

Although no longer certain that she was being followed Quistis closed her eyes and focused her last ration of energy towards her legs, willing them to go faster. Opening her eyes again she saw a tall figure standing in front of the exit. Seifer's face was hidden by darkness Quistis saw the fire cross symbol on his coat as well as hyperion held possessively in his hand. She tried to call out to him but she could not speak. Her body began to freeze up as she fell to the floor, inertia carrying her to his feet. She looked up at his smirking face just in time to see the gunblade pierce her heart. Her screams drowned out by the sounds of his maniacal laughter. 

______________________________ 

Quistis yelped as she sat up quickly in the double bed. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and back and her breathing came in quick ragged gasps. _'What the hell was that?' _ She had never experienced a dream like that before in her life and it was not something she had particularly enjoyed. After calming herself down the full reality of the situation hit her. _'Great, I have no idea where I am and I'm still groggy from whatever it is that prick stunned me with. This should be interesting' _She thought as she pushed the blankets off and slowly got to her feet, ignoring the fact that she was wearing nothing but her underwear. Looking around the room she continued to recall the events of the previous night. "Damn you Seifer." 

"Well good morning to you to." 

Quistis turned around to tell him exactly were he could shove the attitude, but stopped when she saw the amused expression on his face. 

"What?" 

"Interesting outfit. You pick it out yourself." 

Angrily she picked up the bedside lamp and threw it at his head. To her dismay Seifer simply smiled as he dodged the airborne electrical appliance. Quickly she ripped off the bed sheet and wrapped it around her half naked body. 

"Temper temper. Do you treat all your ex-students like that?" 

"Where are my clothes?" 

"Raijin's taking care of them. Unless you think blood stains are a good fashion statement?" 

"Don't be a smartarse." 

"I thought intelligence was a virtue." 

"Oh blow it out your arse Almasy." 

".........well that was unexpected. And here I thought you were so prim and proper." 

Once again Quistis' face hardened as she prepared to retaliate, but her expression softened when she was the bruises covering his face and exposed arms. 

"Hyne Seifer what happened to you?" 

"Nothing I couldn't handle." 

Quistis was about to apologise but, to her surprise, Seifer beat her to it. 

"I'm sorry for barging in like that. I heard you scream so I came in to check on you." 

Quistis blinked. Had Seifer just apologized? In all the years she'd known him never once had he given anyone an honest apology. _'He's toying with me. He's being sarcastic.'_ However his facial expression did nothing to support this thought. An even bigger shock came when she realised that he was blushing. Seifer Almasy was blushing. Another first. Seifer was never shy around girls, in fact his 'sexual conquests' were well known around Garden (and, in the case of men, well respected). Quistis did not know how to react to this. 

A deafening silenced settled between them. Slowly she walked over and started picking up the broken shards of porcelain imbedded in the carpet. Seifer knelt down in front of her and began to do the same. Eventually Quistis broke the silence by asking the question that both of them knew was on her mind." 

"Did you do it?" 

"What do you think?" 

"I think you have a lot to answer for?" 

"Is that so?" 

"Stop it!" 

"Stop what?" 

"These mind games. Why can't you simply tell me what I want to know?" 

"Cause it's none of your fucking business!" With that he stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him. Quistis stared at the carpet, shocked to realise that she was upset. Not because he hadn't answered her question, but because he had left. 

_______________________________ 

__

_'How do I get myself into these situations?' _Zell groaned as he tried to keep himself hidden behind an abnormally large potted plant. Leanne's bright idea of getting them in was to announce loudly that she was being 'escorted' by a prominent SeeD. The maitre d' was not impressed. Thankfully the fear of attention being drawn to the rambunctious woman outweighed the need for an extra table, so they were finally seated. Now Zell made a point of trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. The less attention he drew to himself the better. 

"Lighten up will you. I got us a table didn't I?" She said, not taking her eyes off of the menu. 

"You didn't tell me you were going to get half of Galbadia involved. I'm sure even the people in Winhill heard you." Zell hissed, trying hard to keep a serious look on his face, but then he got a vision of the Leanne standing in the middle of a room harassing the restaurant staff, and he started to laugh. After all it wasn't in his nature to stay upset. Leanne tilted her head to the side, studying him closely, then she to began to laugh. Once again the whole restaurant turned their attention towards the couple. At this point both were on the verge of tears and trying hard not to fall out of their chairs, it wasn't until Zell caught site of the manager approaching that he finally made an attempt to calm himself down. 

"Can I help you sir?" 

"I don't know? Can you?" Zell asked, grinning like an idiot. Again they burst into another fit of laughter, much to the annoyance of the manager. 

"Sir, if you cannot control yourself I'm going to have to ask you to leave." 

"Well, we can't have that now can we." A red faced Leanne mimicked. 

"Are you mocking me madam?" 

"I don't know? Is she?" Zell laughed as he rose to his feet. He knew what was going to happen next. He'd been thrown out of many restaurants before and knew the procedure quite well. 

"Hey where are you.oh." Leanne realised what he was doing as she saw two security guards heading towards their table. "Well, my complements to the chef, the bread sticks were to die for." 

"Ha, Good one." Zell said over his shoulder. 

"Yea, I've been waiting to say that since we got here." 

"Sad." 

"Bite me!" 

"Excuse me!" The manager snapped. 

"Yeah yeah, keep ya toupee on pops. We're going." Zell barked. Even though he was generally good natured, he hated stiff necks who tried to act superior. That was one thing he didn't stand for. 

"You all right?" Leanne asked when they were outside. 

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have done that. I'm supposed to be a representative of Garden. I hope this doesn't get back to Cid. 

"It won't. I don't think they believed me when I said that you were a SeeD." 

"You don't think they would've recognised me?" 

"Na, you're shorter in real life." She said with a sly smile. 

"Wha?!" 

"Just kidding. What now." 

"Anything but French food." 

"Deal." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I'm so sorry for not updating. I've been bombarded with exams and assignments (end of term, everything's due at once :S). Thankfully it's now the holidays so there will be no excuse for me not updating. I'll try and get a new chappie up every couple of days from now on. 


	16. Drugged

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Sixteen_

__

__Squall wasted no time tracking down Chant. Standing in the white receptionist's area he preoccupied himself by staring at the Benson's & Son's logo. It hadn't taken him long to track down the building, it was after all one of the largest in Deling, however considering he'd never been there before he'd still had to ask for directions a few times. Not his finest hour. 

"I'm sorry sir, but Mr Benson snr is not in at the moment. He's currently in a very important meeting. I can see if Mr Benson jnr is in if you wish." 

Squall just nodded. He waited patiently for her to finish contacting what he assumed would be Benson's personal secretary. 

"...................Yes I know that Mr Benson is not seeing anyone without an appointment, it is a Mr Squall Leonhart that wishes to see him......... Ah ha.... All right......" She put down the receiver and spoke directly to Squall. "Someone will be here in a moment to escort you sir." 

Again Squall simply nodded. Moment's later a tall, dark haired woman wearing a feminine black business suit stepped off the elevator. 

"Mr Leonhart, this way sir." Squall said nothing as he stepped into the elevator. Generally only a fool would be seen in a place like this if they were trying to work undercover, but as convenience would have it Benson & Son's law firm worked closely with Balamb Garden on many occasions, so Squall knew the family of lawyers quite well. 

Walking down a long carpeted hallway he finally found himself standing in front of a large wooden double door entrance with the words 'Mr Samuel Benson jnr, Senior Board member' inscribed on a gold plate set about eye level on the left door. 

"You may go right in sir, Mr Benson is expecting you." 

With actions characteristic to his personality Squall walked in, completely ignoring the woman who had escorted him. He stepped into the large room and walked straight over to a large mahogany desk set in front of the large window that seemed to replace the back wall. He was immediately greeted by a young man in his late twenties, perhaps early thirties, with a warm handshake. A gesture he did no return. 

"Ha, Squall you haven't changed a bit. I must say this is a pleasant surprise. I knew you wear in town but I did not expect to see you until the banquet tomorrow night. What brings you here." 

"I'm afraid I'm here on business. Balamb Garden requests your assistance." 

"Of course, I'd be happy to help. You and Cid have helped us out numerous times, it's about time we had an opportunity to return the favour." 

"The case you handled recently, the sale of Mertax computer company. Did you handle that directly?" 

"Yes, but privacy laws prohibit me from releasing any information to you, so if that's what your asking for I'm afraid........." 

"No, that's not it. The previous owner of the company, John Mertax, hired SeeD recently to complete a mission. However we'd heard recently that Mertax had been forced to sell because of outstanding debts, and that he only just managed to break even. So what we want to know is...." 

"How did he manage to pay for a team of SeeD's." 

"Several team's." 

"What was the mission for." 

"I'm not at liberty to say." 

"Of course you're not. Why should Garden care where he gets the money from." 

"Garden cannot have anything to do with illegal practices." Squall then gave a crooked smile. "At least not any that we didn't start." 

"Hahaha, well, what do you need." 

"Information on Mertax's current financial standings and any transactions he may have made with the bank." 

"And what makes you think I have that information. My work is on the business, now that it's been sold off Mertax is out of the picture." Squall raised his right eyebrow. "You know me too well. Ok, give me a minute. We keep that sort of information in an external filing system. It will take a while to find." 

"I'm not going anywhere." 

"Ok, I'll be back in 10 minutes." 

_'More than enough time.' _As soon as Samuel was out of the room Squall jumped over the desk and sat himself in front of the computer. He silently thanked Hyne that Samuel never allowed security cameras to be put up in his office. The password was easy enough to get around, but it went downhill from there. Finding a single file without knowing the database was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Precious minutes passed before he found what he was looking for. The firm was careful to keep accurate records of all business dealings, both financial and otherwise. This of course was essential for an enterprise of such magnitude. Squall checked his watch before reading on. Six minutes had passed, but he was almost finished. 

On June 16th (two days before they were to be declared bankrupt) a large amount of capital was placed back into the business. A total of 32 million. 28 million of this was supplied by a F. Morris. _'I'm guessing Morris is Chant. I knew he would have used an alias, but I didn't know it would be so damn obvious. Why put it all under one name, why not several. Maybe he's not as much of a professional as I thought.'_

__Searching again he found details for F. Morris. Many information fields were left blank, but there was still a contact number. _'This is all too easy. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe Morris isn't Chant. Well, I've got nothing to loose.' _He memorised the number and any other details before exiting the program. He jumped back over the desk just as Samuel reentered the room. 

"Here is the information, all on disc. Shall I print it out for you?" 

"No, I'll take it as it is." 

"Now hold on, I can't just give you this. I need some sort of...... insurance." 

"You have my word, if this information is found you or your father had nothing to do with it." 

Samuel physically relaxed. "I shouldn't have doubted you. Forgive me." 

"Don't mention it." Squall said as he took the disc from Samuel's outstretched hand. 

"I shall see you at the banquet tomorrow then. Oh, and you know what to do with that disc when you are finished with it?" 

"Of course." 

___________________________ 

"I can't take this anymore. Why can't people just give me a straight answer." 

"Calm down Rinoa, how can you expect someone to tell you what you need to know if you keep yelling at them." Selphie yawned. 

"Your point?" 

"This isn't like the time you couldn't get the VCR to work. These are people you're dealing with, simply hitting them won't work this time." 

"Oh I only hit one person, and he deserved it." 

"Maybe so, but Squall did say we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves." 

"Screw what Squall said. It's 10:30 and we still have no idea where Quistis is. Oh Selph, what if she's lying dead in a ditch, or some crazed lunatic has kidnapped her and is torturing her as we speak. What if........." 

"Hey, isn't that Danny?" 

"Who?" 

"You know, Danny, we met him about six months ago. He used to be a student at Balamb Garden." 

"Oh right, Quistis' friend. Where did you see him?" 

"Over there, across the road.. Danny! Hey DANNY!! OVER HERE!!" Selphie yelled as she jumped up and down, waving her arms trying to get his attention. The confused officer turned around but returned Selphie's enthusiasm when he saw them. "Come on." Selphie dragged Rinoa to where he was standing. 

"Hey, long time no see girls. I didn't know you were here." 

"Quistis didn't tell you?" Rinoa asked, trying to catch her breath. "I thought she would have contacted you when we got here." 

"Well, I knew she was here, but she said nothing about you guys." 

"I'm not surprised, Quistis never was one for making a fuss." Selphie stated. "Besides, we've been so busy with all the meetings and interviews and OUCH!! Rinoa! What's the big idea?!" She said rubbing her shin." 

"Sorry Selph, I didn't mean to kick you so hard, but don't we have a job to do." 

"Oh right, hey Danny, you haven't seen Quistis around have you." 

"Well, yeah I have. Why? What's up." 

"Oh nothing, we just need to track her down...to do some...err, shopping. Isn't that right Rin?" 

"Umm, sure, that's right." 

"Selphie? What's going on?" He asked, crossing his arms. 

"Shit, Quistis always said she never could keep a secret from you." Selphie began rubbing her neck as she chose her words carefully. "Quistis has been missing for some time. The hotel receptionist said she left around midnight. No one has seen her since." 

At this Danny paled. He started running his hands quickly through his short curly hair while avoiding eye contact with the two girls. 

"Danny?" Rinoa asked. "Are you ok?" 

"This is all my fault." 

"What's all your fault?" Selphie asked. 

"I called Quistis last night and asked her to come down to the station. She'd told me about the mission and asked me if I could keep an eye out." 

"Shit, what time did you call her?" Selphie asked in a panic. 

"Can't remember exactly, but it was some time just before 12am I think." 

"The times fit." Rinoa noted. 

"Anyway," Danny continued. "We talked about..... Ummm..... Certain pieces of evidence, she then said she was going to question someone, a link to the case. I haven't seen her since." 

"Shit, who did she say she was going to talk to." 

"Didn't say, but you might know him, he's linked to Garden somehow. Quistis said he's been living in Deling for some time now." 

"Damn, Selph do you have any ideas?" 

"No, but Squall might. Thanks Danny, give us a call at the hotel if you find out anything." Selphie yelled as she and Rinoa ran down the street, back towards the hotel. Danny breathed a sigh of relief, glad they did not question the matter any further. He wanted to tell them everything but didn't want to break a promise to a friend. But still, her safety came first, so he decided that if they had not found her by tomorrow, he would tell them everything. 

_____________________________ 

Seifer paced the living room floor, checking his watch every ten minutes. It was 11:00pm and Quistis was still asleep in her bed. 

"It doesn't make sense. I was certain she'd be out of here by now. Gone off to tell her SeeD buddies that I'm here." 

"You sound disappointed?" Raijin yawned. 

"Of course not. It's just not like her." 

"Wanna know a secret?" 

"..............." 

"She won't be goin anywhere for a few hours ya know." 

"..............?" 

"Let's just say I gave her a very relaxing mix of my personal stash." 

"You drugged her?!" 

"Just with sleeping pills, damn strong ones though. Doc's used em to knock me out when I fractured my collarbone." 

"Shit Raijin," Seifer laughed. "You didn't." 

"Take a look." He said, pointing towards the bedroom door. Seifer slowly walked over and looked inside. Sure enough there she was, sprawled across the bed, blankets covering her legs and her arms dangling over the side. Seifer laughed again. "That's a sight you don't see every day." 

"I'm glad you're amused and all, but we have to figure out what we're gonna do know." 

"We?" 

"I told ya, I'm in this with you till the end ya know." 

"Thanks Raijin, but you've done enough." Seifer walked back over and sat opposite Raijin on an old recliner. "I've gotta take care of this myself." 

"Now you're startin to sound like Squall." 

"I'm gonna ignore that." 

"You are, 'I gotta take care of myself. I can't rely on you. Leave me alone'......" 

"All right, you've made your point. But what else am I supposed to do?" 

"You could tell me what you have so far. Sneakin out nearly every night, I don't know where you go but you've gotta be on to something." 

Without saying a word Seifer pulled out the gold cigarette case and threw it at Raijin. 

"What's this?" 

"Open it." 

Raijin opened the case and looked inside. "Deva's. Nice brand. Expensive." 

"No, I mean _open _it." 

Raijin ran his fingers along the edge of the case until he came to the back hinges. Finding a hidden latch he snapped open a small hidden compartment. A small flat object that looked like a key card fell to the ground. "What the...?" 

Seifer leant forward to pick the small piece of plastic up. "It's a key," He said referring to the magnetic strip on the back. "although I don't know what it's used for." 

"Where did you get it?" 

"The nightclub, but it wasn't what I was expecting." 

"............?" 

"That hidden compartment used to hold names, codes, dates and anything else a lowlife would want to keep hidden from the cops. But it would appear that things have changed since......." Seifer stopped suddenly. He'd come too close to saying something he didn't want to say. 

"Since?" 

"I need to find out what this is used for, a door, a computer, anything." 

"Doesn't it say?" 

"No, it just has these numbers on it." Seifer handed the card over to Raijin, who examined it closely. 

"454 557. Phone number?" 

"Doubt it, but even if it was we couldn't just call it up." 

"Well, what do you suppose we do with it?" 

"The police have ways of finding out what these things are used for. So I figure whatever the police can do, someone else on the streets will be able to do the same." 

"You got a point, but who?" 

"If I knew that I wouldn't be asking you." 

"What about Quistis?" 

"What _about_ Quistis?" 

"She's got connections." 

"You're shittin me right? She'd hang me up by my balls before she helped me." 

"She did say that she wanted to help." 

"Yeah, I've heard that before." 

"Seifer...." 

"I said no. We are not getting her dragged into this, even if we can trust her. It's just too risky." 

"Just tryin to help ya know. Hey, what about that BJ person. Didn't you say he could help, I mean, those people that attacked Quistis did work for him right?" 

"I don't think that's an option anymore. He's the sort of guy that has no problem finding you but when you need him it's like he doesn't even exist." 

"So you think he's gone." 

"Nah, he'll resurface eventually. He always does. But I'm not going to sit around and wait for him." 

"I hear ya. Ok, I'll start asking round town tomorrow to see what can be done about this then." Raijin said holding up the card. "But I want you to lay low. No point in me doin this work if your just gonna get yourself arrested again ya know." 

"Yeah, point taken. Just don't get yourself in trouble ok." 

"Hey, don't worry bout me. All right that's that taken care of. Now, what do we do about sleeping beauty back there." 

Seifer just stared blankly at the wall. His eye's wondered over to the bedroom door and stayed there for quite a while. 

"Seifer?" 

"We can't decide on anything until she wakes up." Seifer said, not taking his eye's off of the door. 

"Right, well I gave her a double dose around ten this morning, and one of those could knock me out for about eight hours, so I imagine she should be up and kicking early tomorrow morning. We'd better make sure we're up before then." 

"Right, well I'll see you tomorrow then." 

"Yeah, tomorrow." Raijin left the room, turning off the lights as he went. Seifer continued to stare at the bedroom door. __

_'What am I going to do with you?'_

__

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

__

__Ok, here it is. I spent an hour rewriting this chapter and I still don't like the way it came out. Oh well, the next one will be better. 

frost you are absolutely right. I am avoiding scenes with Seifer and Quistis. That's why I made sure she was unconscious in this chapter :P. But I promise that there will be lots of scenes with those 2 together in later chapters. Just don't stop giving me ideas for this story. I have a general idea of where it's going but that's about it. 

Also thank you to everyone who's been reviewing this story so far. If it wasn't for you guys I don't think I would have gotten past the first chapter. 


	17. Favors

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Seventeen_

__

__Quistis winced as a sharp pain shot through her skull. She groaned as she rolled on to her back, rubbing her forehead as if trying to erase the pain. _'Why is it that I keep regaining consciousness in strange places.' _She thought with dark amusement as she recalled the events of the past few days. It didn't take her long to realise that she was not alone in the room. Seifer sat on a chair facing the open window. He was in his own world and did not see her stir, or at least that's what she thought. 

"Your clothes are at the foot of the bed." He said, still staring at the window, as if trying to ignore her very presence. 

Careful to keep her half naked body hidden by the covers she crept over and picked up the few articles of clothing, but hesitated to put the on. 

"I didn't come in here to watch you get dressed." 

Quistis watched him carefully as she dressed. She noted that her weapons were not included with the garments, not that they would have done her much good. She was in no condition to fight, a realisation that chilled her to the bone. She was defenseless and alone with a man who had killed many innocent people in the short time he had been on this planet. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was afraid. However she vowed that she would not allow him to know that. Scared or not, if the bastard wanted a fight then that's exactly what he would get. 

Quistis stood there for some time, waiting for him to speak. She took this opportunity to study him and see how he'd changed over the past year. His hair had grown, perhaps an inch, his face was bruised and scarred but was almost healed and his nose was slightly crooked having obviously been broken. She shuddered to think what he had been through to incur such horrendous injuries. Stubble was beginning to form on his chin and the dark circles under his eyes made him look ten years older than he really was. However what shocked her the most was not his face. In his right hand was a small glass filled with ice and a clear light brown liquid and in between two fingers a single cigarette dangled loosely, threatening to fall to the ground. 

"I didn't know you smoked?" 

"Neither did I." 

"What time is it?" 

"Seven." 

"A little early to be drinking isn't it?" 

"Since when did you become my mother?" He growled. 

To his surprise she knelt down beside him and gently placed a hand on his arm. He didn't flinch or move away, instead he just stared at her. His face may have been that of a cruel mercenary but his eye's betrayed him. Although the pride and arrogance was still there Quistis could see that his unwavering confidence had all but disappeared. 

"Why are you here?" She asked. He did not reply. "Seifer?" 

"I had nowhere else to go." He said quickly tearing his face away from her gaze. Not wanting to let things end the same way their last conversation had, she held on to his arm but said nothing. If he was going to tell her anything he would do it in his own time. Minutes passed before he finally spoke. "How much do you know?" 

"Not much." 

"Do you think I did it?" 

Quistis smiled. "Since when did you care about what I thought." 

"Just trying to figure out who my enemies are." 

"You think I'm your enemy?" 

"That's up to you." Seifer paused as he began to rub the back of his neck. "I can't just let you go, you know that don't you." 

"Yea, I figured that part out." Quistis removed her hand from his arm as his stood up. He started to walk towards the door, but stopped when she called out his name. "Seifer wait. You know what I'm obligated to do, so you know you have nothing to lose. I want to help you but you're not making it very easy." 

"Why do you want to help me?" He asked, not bothering to turn around. 

"Because..." She paused for a moment, before continuing in a voice that came out as a raspy whisper. "Because... I want you to prove to me that you didn't do it." 

"My word isn't good enough for you?" 

"You haven't given me your word, besides, I only believe the evidence." 

"Well in that case you'd better call your SeeD buddies to come and arrest me, because I've got fuck all to clear my name." 

"I won't do that, not yet." 

Seifer slowly turned around. He stared at her face for some time, trying to decide if she was telling the truth or just playing him for a fool. Seifer sighed as he crossed his arms, trying hard to avoid eye contact. "I went to the nightclub to stop a mad man, but instead I'd walked right into a trap." 

"Trap?" 

"In the past I'd crossed paths with someone I shouldn't have, I'd managed to get myself away by having him thrown in prison. I guess he came back to get his revenge." 

"So someone's set you up. Who?" 

"I haven't even told Raijin that so there's no way in hell I'm going to tell you." 

"But if you give me a name I can......." 

"If I tell you who he is he'll kill both of us." 

______________________________ 

Selphie tapped her foot impatiently on the floor of the bus. "Can't this old heap move any faster?" 

Rinoa yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "We should have caught the earlier bus." 

"We would've if you hadn't slept in." Selphie snapped. She was in no mood to be nice to anyone. Quistis was still missing and she was just about pulling her hair out. She gave a small yelp when Rinoa tapped her on the shoulder. 

"Sorry Selph, but you still haven't told me where we're going?" 

"Raijin's." 

"Raijin? He lives here? Is he the one Quistis went to see?" 

"I don't know. I ran into Irvine last night and told him what Danny said. That's when Raijin's name popped up." 

"You don't think that Raijin would do something to Quistis do you?" 

"No, but she's still missing and we have no idea where she is. Right now I think it's best to take any lead we're given." The bus stopped and the girls ran off, heading in the direction of Raijin's home. 

"Selphie, I don't mean to pry but where did you get his address from." 

"Irvine did a little police file search for me." 

"I had to ask." 

"Here it is. Jeez, it's a kinda small for a house." 

"It's bigger than the room's back at Garden." 

"Good point." The two girls walked up to the front entrance. Rinoa leaned forward and knocked on the door. No reply came, so she tried again. Still no one answered. She was about to try again but Selphie stopped her. "Do you hear that?" She whispered 

"Hear what?" Rinoa asked, straining her ears. 

"There's voices, coming from inside." 

"Your point?" 

"One of them is female, can't you hear it?" 

"No, but I don't want to wait out here all day, I'm going to find out who it is." Rinoa raised her hand to knock on the door, but Selphie stopped her again. 

"Rin wait. I've got a better idea." Pulling out two pin like objects Selphie proceeded to pick the lock. 

"Selphie!?" Rinoa whispered harshly. "What are you doing." 

"I'm going to see what's going on inside. You don't have to come in if you don't want. I'll be in and out in two minutes." Carefully she swung the door open and cautiously stepped inside, Rinoa following close behind. They walked over to the room the voices was coming from. They listened to the conversation, being careful not to make a sound. 

"Is this really all you have?" The female asked. The girls immediately recognised Quistis' voice. They both gave a silent cheer before turning their attention back to the conversation. 

"Considering the situation I'm in, I think it's a fucking miracle I found that without getting caught." The man replied. The voice was definitely not Raijin's. Selphie pressed her ear closer to the door unaware of Rinoa's shocked expression. 

"Selph." Rinoa whispered harshly. 

"Shhh, they're gonna hear us." 

"Selph I think we need to get Quistis out of there now!" 

"What!?" 

"That's not Raijin in there." 

"Well duh. We can take on one man Rin." 

"No you don't understand Selphie it's......" Selphie slapped her hand over Rinoa's mouth when she heard movement from inside the room. Someone was walking towards the door. 

_________________________ 

"Seifer, where are you going?" 

"Shhhh, I heard something." He stepped towards the door, listening for any further sounds. Without making a noise he walked quickly over to Quistis until they were barely an inch apart. He whispered urgently in her ear, "Someone's at the door. I don't know how long they've been there but we have to get out of here now....." Without warning the door flew open, Selphie and Rinoa came barging into the room, weapons in hand. "Let her go asshole!" Selphie yelled. 

"Selphie wait..........." Quistis was cut off as Seifer grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards the window. Her eye's widened as she felt the barrel of a gun being pressed just below her chin. 

"Seifer don't!" Rinoa pleaded. 

"S-Seifer?" Quistis stammered. 

"I'm sorry, but I have no choice." He whispered in her ear. "I can't afford to get caught, not by anyone. It's not just _my _life on the line here." 

"Seifer you harm one hair on her head and I swear I'll have every single SeeD hunt you down like the dog you are." Selphie warned. 

"You have to believe me. I don't want anyone else to die Quistis." 

"Seifer....." Quistis pleaded 

"I never meant for this to happen." With that Seifer lowered the gun and kissed her on the cheek. Acting quickly he pushed her to the ground, then jumped out of the open window and ran off through the suburban jungle. 

"Quistis!?" Rinoa quickly ran over to her friend. Selphie ran past her to the window. 

"Shit! He's gone." 

"Quistis!? Are you all right?" 

"I'm fine Rinoa." 

"How did that bastard get a hold of you?" Selphie asked. 

"That bastard saved my life." 

"What!?" Rinoa asked. 

"I was attacked a couple of nights ago and was knocked out cold. Seifer brought me here." 

"But he attacked you just then. He took you hostage for Hyne's sake!" Selphie cried. 

"He panicked! A lot of things have happened." Quistis pleaded. 

"Panicked or not Squall's gonna get a real kick when he finds out Seifer's in town and what he did to you." Rinoa said. 

"Squall's not going to find out." Quistis stated as she rose to her feet. 

"What!!?? We have to report this to him Quisty! He has to know." Selphie once again cried out. 

Quistis clenched her fists. She was probably making the biggest mistake of her life, there was no telling what Seifer was going to do, but she wasn't prepared to hand him over to the Deling police. Not yet. Even if it did mean lying to her friends, she was going to buy him some more time. "This has nothing to do with our mission. We can't get distracted. If Squall finds out about Seifer there's no way to know what he would do. I think for now we should just keep this between us." 

"You've got to be joking! Quistis, are you listening to yourself?" Rinoa asked as she got to her feet. "This is huge, you can't just ask us to forget about it." 

"Rinoa's right Quisty, we have to tell Squall. I'm sorry but........." 

"But what?!" Quistis snapped. "I've lost count of all the favors I've done for you over the past year, and yet you can't do this _one _thing! Just _one _favor is all I ask." _'I'm sorry Selphie, I wish I didn't have to do this.'_

"Quistis, this isn't just one favour, you're asking us to defy Garden regulations." Selphie said as she walked over to Quistis. "Why do you want to protect him anyway?" 

_'I'd like to know why myself.' _ "I owe him Selph. I'd be dead now if it wasn't for him." 

"Selphie, I think we should do what she asks." 

"What?!" 

"No one would have to know. It's just this once." 

"Rin you can't be serious. This is Seifer Almasy we're talking about." 

"Seifer hasn't bothered anyone for over a year now. I think it's about time we gave him a break." 

Selphie rubbed her eyes and sighed. It's wasn't like her to be so serious and it was making her depressed. "All right, as long as Seifer stays quiet the commander won't know a thing." 

Quistis sighed with relief. "Thank you Selphie." 

"But I won't lie to anyone. If Squall or anyone asks, I'll have to tell them." 

"And the same thing goes if Seifer starts causing trouble." Rinoa stepped in. "We don't want to upset you Quisty but we can't just let a man like that run loose." 

"I understand completely. I just need you to keep quiet until the missions over. It's just to keep the peace, that's all." Quistis said. She felt terrible for lying but she'd dug herself in too deep to get out now. 

"All right." Selphie said, back to her normal self. "Let's get out of here before Raijin decides to turn up." 

Quistis nodded and walked out of the room. The second she was gone Rinoa whispered loudly in Selphie's ear. "Did you see that?" 

"What? The kiss?" 

Rinoa nodded. 

"What do you think is going on?" 

"Not sure but I intend to find out." 

"Count me in." After exchanging knowing looks both girls ran out of the house to catch up with Quistis. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I'm sorry this was so short, the next one will be longer. I'm seriously freaking out about this chapter. I tried really hard to show a sort of connection between Seifer and Quistis but I'm absolutely hopeless at things like that. I just can't do romantic scenes, even if there's bugger all romance in it! 


	18. Suspended

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Eighteen_

__

_'He kissed me.' _ The thought ran over and over again in her mind as she ran over her cheek. _'No, it's impossible. My mind was playing tricks on me.' _"_He_ was playing a trick on me."Quistis said quietly to herself. _'But he was so sincere before.' _"Sincere? This is Seifer I'm talking about!" 

"Talking about what?" Rinoa asked turning to look at her confused friend. 

"Nothing, I was just talking to myself." Quistis dismissed the brunettes concern as she stared out of the hotel room window. 

"Do you really think this will work?" Selphie asked as she continued to examine the small key card in her hands. Quistis had told both girls about the key card and everything else she knew so far, excluding the details about Seifer. Hoping that this could be the break they needed Selphie had contacted Squall and Irvine. Both had agreed to meet in Quistis' hotel room in an hour, but Selphie had, so far, been unable to contact Zell. 

"I just hope he doesn't go missing as well." Rinoa sighed. 

"Nah, we can expect these things from Zell. He'll turn up soon." Selphie tossed the key card onto the bedside table, then through herself across the bed. "Shouldn't they be here by now?" She yawned. 

"Now that's a sight a man can be glad to come home to." Irvine said as he walked through the door, winking cheekily at Selphie. She growled in mock anger as she grabbed his hat from his hands and tossed it across the room. "Easy Selph, it was just a joke." 

"Quit playing around. We have work to do." Squall snapped as he walked through the door. "Quistis, where the hell have you been?" 

"I've been following a lead sir." Although they very rarely referred to Squall in such a formal manner, Quistis did not want to push her luck. 

"Sir, Quistis has information on the murders. I think this could be the answer." 

"What is it?" He asked, quickly forgetting about Quistis' recent disappearance. 

"It appears to be a key card." Quistis stated. 

"For a bank or something?" Irvine asked, his arm draped casually over Selphie's shoulders. 

" I'm not sure what it is used for." 

"Where did you find it?" Squall asked. 

"Daniel Lait sir. He acquired it from the evidence room. It was found at the crime scene." 

"Why wasn't it reported?" 

"There have been many items of evidence reported missing. There was some confusion down at the station recently." 

"So that was the evidence you where investigating." Rinoa exclaimed. 

"What?" Quistis blinked in confusion. 

"Danny said something about a piece of evidence you were looking into, that's it isn't it?" 

"What? Oh, umm, yes that's it." _'When did they talk to Danny?"_

__"Never mind all that." Squall interrupted. "Irvine, take this down to the crime lab. Have them figure out what it's for, but don't tell them where we got it from." 

"Gotcha, when do you want me to go?" 

"Now. The sooner we find out the sooner this will be over." 

"Fine, cya." Irvine gave Selphie a quick kiss on the cheek before running out of the room. This simple action caused Quistis' mind to wander. _'Maybe he wasn't playing around. Maybe he was trying to tell me something.'_

__"Quistis! I need to speak with you." Squall said after the others had left. "I thought you'd be the last person I would have to reprimand for disobeying garden protocol. What the hell where you thinking?" 

"I _wasn't_ thinking sir." 

"Where were you?" 

"I went to question a few people, I guess I got carried away." 

"Carried away? A few hours is getting carried away, a whole day is fucking ridiculous!" 

"I'm not a child Squall, I can take care of myself!" 

"....... I'm sorry, this mission is getting to all of us. We were just worried." 

"I no, it won't happen again." 

"I know it won't, but I'm afraid I can't simply ignore this." 

"........?" 

"Garden rules state that abandoning your team means you must be placed on immediate suspension..." 

"I didn't abandon anyone!" Quistis said, her eyes widening at his accusations. 

"I know that, but Garden still see's it as you going AWOL." 

"Garden? You contacted Balamb?!" 

"I had to. I don't like this anymore than you Quistis, but I don't have a choice." 

"But what about the mission?" 

"Your suspension won't be enforced until we return to garden, but for security reasons I'm going to have to ask you to stay in this room until given a specific order to do otherwise." 

"This is ridiculous! I was just doing my job for Hyne's sake!" 

"Quistis...." 

"Why didn't you do something!? You're the commander of this fucking team!" Quistis yelled. She new she was overreacting, but at that moment she didn't care. 

"Do you think I wanted this to happen!?" Squall yelled back, he was not going to allow himself look like the bad guy simply to cover up Gardens mistake. "I fought like hell for you, but there's only so much I can do!" 

"I..." 

"The truth is Quistis you screwed up and now you have to pay the price. If there was something I could do you know damn well that I would do it!" 

"................." 

Realising he wasn't going to get a response, Squall turned and headed for the door. 

"Squall!" He turned around to face her. "What do you plan to do now." 

"End this thing as soon as I can." With that he quickly walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. 

____________________________ 

"Your kidding!!" Leanne said in disbelief. 

"I wish. I'm surprised Cid didn't suspend me." Zell exclaimed. 

"I don't believe it." 

"It's true." 

"20 or 30 is believable, but 140 hotdogs. No way!" 

"You don't believe me just ask Quistis. She was the one who found them." 

"That's just inhuman. You're unbelievable." 

"Why thank you." 

"I didn't mean it as a compliment." 

"Well that's how I'm going to take it." 

"You just live in your own little world don't you." 

"Sure do, restricted access to non personnel." 

"I'm hurt, so I'm not allowed in." Leanne said in mock hurt. 

"Well, maybe a temporary pass." 

"Haha, you're completely nuts." 

"You noticed?" Zell stared ahead as they walked through the park area. It was almost dark and he had practically forgotten about his mission, but at that moment he didn't really care. 

"Ah, I should really be going." Leanne muttered. 

"Wha? why?!" 

"I have to get dressed, for the banquet." 

"Oh SHIT!! I completely forgot about that. Squall's gonna kill me Wait, you're going too?" 

"Yeah, a friend of a friend's got connections, if you know what I mean." 

"Really? Cool, I'll see you there then." Zell made no attempt to hide his excitement. 

Leanne couldn't help but laugh at his childish actions. "I guess so, look forward to it." 

"Yeah same." A short silence fell between them before Zell looked at his watch and shot off in the opposite direction. "I'll see you at the banquet!" 

Leanne's smile quickly fell as she remembered why she had gotten the invitation in the first place. _'This is perfect. It's the perfect excuse to get close to Quistis and find out what she's up to. This is _exactly _what I wanted to happen. Isn't it?'_

_____________________________ 

Zell ran into the hallway just as Selphie stepped out of her room. "Wow Selph, that skirt actually hits the floor. This is the first time I've seen you without your legs." 

"Zell this isn't time for jokes. Squall is seriously pissed." 

"I'm sorry I lost track of time." 

"Hurry up and get dressed. We're supposed to meet in the lobby in 5 minutes." 

"Dressed?! Shit, I forgot to pick up my suit." 

"Don't worry, Rinoa picked it up for you. It's in your room." 

"Remind me to thank her later." 

"You won't be able to thank anyone if you're in hospital, which is exactly where Squall's going to send you if you don't hurry." Selphie shook her head as he ran into his room. She stepped towards the room opposite hers and knocked. 

"Who is it?" 

"It's Selphie." 

"The door's unlocked." 

Selphie walked into the dimly lit room. She sighed at the sight of Quistis standing at the window, looking out at the city lights. She looked as though she was about to cry. 

"I know why you're here, and the answer is no." 

"But Quistis, you have to come, it's part of our mission." 

"No, it's part of _your _mission." 

"But I thought you weren't suspended until we got back to Garden." 

"No I'm not _officially _suspended until then. I still have to stay locked up in here like an animal until we return home." 

"But Squall gave you permission to attend. I thought you'd be happy." 

"Happy? Happy that the only contribution I can make to this fucking mission is my 'charming' personality?! Happy that I'm practically a liability? Why the fuck should I be happy about that!" Quistis yelled after spinning around to face her. 

"That's not true, we wouldn't have our current leads if it wasn't for you." Selphie pleaded. 

"And what if these leads fall through? What then!?" 

"We'll find something else and.." 

"And I'll be left here to pass the time with complimentary mints and a fucking mini bar!" 

Selphie looked down at the floor. She had come in hopes of bringing a smile to the tormented SeeD's face, but she had only made things worse. "I'm sorry Quistis. I wish I knew what you were going through." 

"No you don't." 

"." 

"Your going to be late."  
"I'll ask them to wait in case you change your mind." 

"Don't bother." Quistis snapped as she returned her gaze to the view outside the window. Selphie quietly walked out of the door, but not before leaving Quistis' invitation on the night stand. 

_____________________________________ 

"Zell stop fidgeting." Rinoa snapped as she tried to secure his bow tie. 

"You're cutting off the circulation to my head." 

"That's supposed to happen." 

"Since when." 

"Since always." 

"I can't breath!" 

"Good, then you won't be able to talk!" 

Irvine gave a crooked smile when the two teens began to wrestle with each other as Zell tried to remove the tie from around his constricted neck. His expression quickly changed as he saw Selphie step out of the elevator, her arms wrapped around her chest as if trying to protect herself. He quickly walked over to her before she reached the group. "Selph?" 

"She isn't coming." She said as she stared at the floor. 

"It's okay Selph." Irvine put his arm around her small shoulders. "It's probably for the best. I doubt she'd be the life of the party at the moment." 

"I can't stand the thought of her sitting up there by herself. I'm worried about her." 

"We all are darlin', but you know Quistis. She'll pull through. She always does." 

"No Irvine you don't understand. There's more to it." 

"Like what?" 

"I I cant' say." 

"Selph, you can tell me anything." 

Selphie opened her mouth to tell him about Seifer, but the sound of Zell's voice stopped her. "Hey, is Quistis coming or not?" 

"Zell!! How's about a little sensitivity?" Rinoa snapped. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." 

"It's all right Zell." Selphie sighed, glad that he'd stopped her from saying anything. "We should get going." 

"So she's not coming?" Rinoa asked, her eyes wide with disappointment. Selphie shook her head before wrapping her arms around Irvine's waist and placing her head on his chest. 

"All right, let's go, we're late enough as it is." Squall said, pushing himself out of a chair. 

"Wait." Selphie pleaded. "I said we'd wait in case she changed her mind." 

"She's not going to change her mind Selphie." Squall said. "Irvine, you've got the invitations?" 

"Right here." He said patting his breast pocket. 

"Good, let's go." 

"Come on Selph." Irvine whispered in her ear. "Quistis wouldn't want you to go to a party in a mood like this would she?" 

".." 

"She could still turn up later." 

"I doubt it." Selphie walked off to catch up with the others. 

"So do I." Irvine whispered to himself before running after her. 

_________________________________ 

"Where the hell are you gonna go?" Raijin asked. 

"I dunno, Esther probably. Maybe Dollet." Seifer said as he shoved the few weapons Raijin had into his bag. 

"Maybe you should stick around. The instructor might still come through for you." 

"Yeah, maybe. And maybe she's already got half of the fucking Galbadian military on to me." 

"I don't think Quistis would do that ya know."  
"I can't afford to stick around and find out." 

"So you just gonna give up. Live the rest of your life on the run." 

"I don't have a choice. I only had one thing that could have cleared my name, and I gave it to that bitch. What the hell was I thinking!" Seifer slammed his fist down on the table near the bed, causing the glass top to crack. 

"What exactly happened." 

"I panicked, that's what happened." 

"No, before that. Why did you tell the instructor about.... You know." 

"I don't know. I guess for a second I thought I could trust her." 

"What made you change your mind?" 

"Common sense." Seifer sighed and continued to pack his bag in silence. Raijin watched his friend for some time before speaking. 

"Since when did you ignore your instincts?" 

"What?" 

"Your initial instincts were to trust her right? You've told me many times that your instincts are never wrong. Why the change of heart." 

"This isn't like a fucking SeeD exam. I've got more to loose than just my life." 

".................." Suddenly Raijin stood up and threw Seifer's bag across the room. 

"Wha?!" 

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Raijin yelled. "You come here asking for help and yet when it's offered to you you don't accept it." 

"..............." 

"I don't blame you for not trusting Quistis. But what the hell have you got to gain by keeping secrets from me!?" 

"Don't start!" 

"Fuck you!! What do you think I am!? Stupid!? Hell, why not, everybody else does." 

"Shut up! You want the neighbors to call the cops!?" 

"You think I can't tell that you're still hiding something?!" 

"It's none of your fucking business." 

"You're just being your usual arrogant self. To proud to admit that you can't do this on your own." 

"You're full of shit! I came _here_ didn't I?!" 

"Yeah, expecting me to just stay out of your way and let you take care of everything! Well I've got news for you, I can't just sit around and watch my best friend get killed!" 

"Yeah, well I refuse to risk your life by getting you involved. This is _my _problem and I'll deal with it by myself!!" 

"It's _my _choice whether or not I get involved!!" 

"Like hell it is!!" Seifer yelled out, no longer caring if the neighbors heard. 

"Why don't you just admit it! You're scared!" 

"No, I'm just sick and tired of having to answer to you! Since when did you have the right to control........." Seifer flew across the room as a fist connected roughly with his chin. He looked up at Raijin who was panting heavily and holding a bloody fist. Without thinking Seifer ran forward and punched him in the lower stomach. Raijin began to fall forward but Seifer grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall. He was about to throw another punch but Raijin dodged causing his fist to hit the wall. 

They continued to fight for some time, neither willing to admit defeat. Finally, after the two were close to loosing consciousness, they each collapsed in a breathless heap on opposite sides of Seifer's room. Slowly Raijin raised his bloody head to stare at his battered friend. Seifer stared back at him, keeping eye contact until Raijin finally spoke. 

"I... just don't wanna... see you get... hurt." Raijin managed to say, finding it hard to breath and talk at the same time. 

"This.... is my problem. I shouldn't..... shouldn't have come here in the first place." 

"Like hell." 

"You're saying... you're glad I came and... fucked up your life." 

"No but..." 

"But what?" 

Both took a moment to catch their breath. Seconds later Raijin started to laugh. 

"What's so funny?" 

"You must really like her." 

".................?" 

"She is driving you out of town after all." 

"Get fucked." Seifer laughed. 

"Good to see you can still take a joke." 

"At least one of us has a sense of humor." Seifer reached into his back pocket a pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He placed the tip of one in his mouth and looked around for his lighter. 

"Those things are gonna kill you ya know." Raijin said as he threw a box of matches over to him. 

"My life story. Everything I do is bound to kill me eventually." He said as he lit the cigarette. 

"Says who?" 

"Practically everyone. Haven't you heard? I'm a walking disaster." 

"Ha, yeah I heard." Raijin walked over and sat beside him. "Don't be stingy, give us one." 

"You don't smoke." 

"Neither do you." 

"Good point." Seifer threw the packet onto Raijin's lap. 

"Do you think you're gonna get out of this alive." 

"................" 

"I'll take that as a no." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Please review, I should have the next chapter finished in about a week. 


	19. Distractions

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Nineteen_

__

__"Zell! Stop fidgeting!" Rinoa snapped as they walked through the entrance of the out door garden area. Most of the guests had already arrived and were either socialising around the food and drink tables or on the dance floor, their moves being conducted by the string quartet. 

"I can't help it, this suit is killing me." 

"_I'm_ going to kill you in a second." Irvine snapped. 

"Please do!" Zell pleaded. "Put me out of my misery." 

"That's it, all of you stop right now." Squall snapped, forcing them all to stand in their places. "This is not a game. Some of Deling's most influential politicians are at this function, and I will not allow you to embarrass yourself or Garden by acting like spoilt brats in front of them." 

"Yes mother." Zell yawned. Squall simply rolled his eyes and walked off, Rinoa close behind. It was not his job to play baby-sitter and he was not about to make a scene by ramming Zell's head into the nearby ice sculpture. Although he _was_ tempted to do so. 

"Well, what do we do now?" Irvine purred into Selphie's ear. 

"Let's hit the appetiser table." Zell said hopefully. 

"I wasn't talking to you dickhead." Irvine snapped, having lost all patience with the energetic teen. 

"I didn't hear you say anything, I just suggested getting something to eat." 

"Sure." Selphie removed Irvine's arm from her shoulder and began to walk off. "Come on Zell, I'm hungry, let's go eat." 

"All right!" Zell said, punching the air. 

"Irvine, you coming?" Selphie asked. 

"No, I just remembered something. I gotta go talk to Squall." Irvine said looking distracted. 

"Oh, ok. I'll meet you over there later then." A disappointed Selphie said, while trying to locate what it was that he was staring at. 

"Come on Selph, I'm wasting away here." Zell whined. 

"Yeah, ok I'm coming." Selphie followed, watching as Irvine ran over to the other side of the court. 

___________________________ 

"There she is." Irvine said, interrupting Squall and Rinoa's conversation. 

"Who?" Squall asked, ignoring Rinoa's protests. 

"Tasmin. She's over there with Benson Sr." 

"What the hell would a married man be doing with the likes of her?" 

"Fucked if I know." 

___________________________ 

"Perhaps you should make yourself scarce my dear." Benson said, glancing quickly in the direction of Squall and Irvine. 

Tasmin rolled her eyes. "And what would make you think that?" 

"The SeeD's are staring. No doubt they are wondering who you are." 

They already know." She stated calmly, a mischievous smirk forming on her stunning features. 

Benson quickly placed his champagne glass on the nearby table. "What?!" He whispered harshly. "You idiot, how could you let them discover you." 

Tasmin walked over to a hidden exit leading to a secluded part of the garden, away from prying eyes. As she had expected, Benson followed. 

Once he felt it was safe to talk, Benson reached out and grabbed hold of her bare arm. "Stop right there. I believe you owe me an explan" he was cut off as a slender hand grabbed his neck and forced him up against a brick wall. "W-What are.?" He managed to stammer as he struggled to breathe. 

"Do _not _forget who you are talking to old man." Tasmin said, her facial expression blank but her eyes burning with anger. She was not pleased at having to discipline an ageing businessman, she was trained for combat, but she had a job to do and was not about to let her pride get in the way. 

"H-Help" Benson stammered, trying to avoid her fiery eyes. 

"Did you honestly believe that I would let them discover me so easily?" 

"Let me g-go." She threw him to the ground, smirking cruelly at his pitiful form. "Pathetic, and to think you are supposed to be one of the masterminds behind the Deling's largest crime syndicates." 

"Shut up! Someone could be listening." 

"You're nothing but a paranoid old geezer." 

"How dare you!" 

"Are you forgetting who brought you to these people. Are you forgetting who got you the finances for your pathetic little law firm. I don't think my boss will be very pleased with your attitude." She said, as if speaking to a child. 

Benson was fuming at being treated in such a disrespectful manner. "I don't think your boss will be pleased at your behaviour and how you are treating me." 

"And what makes you think he cares about you?" 

"" 

"Besides, you are in no position to be threatening anyone. After all, it is _your_ fault that Almasy escaped." 

"It is for the best. Seta only wanted him for his for his own pathetic reasons. It's about time he stopped wasting our time and started doing what he's paid for." 

"You poor pathetic little man. You have no idea do you?"  


"" 

"Almasy was used to lure the SeeD's" 

"B-But, what would your boss want with the SeeD's?" 

Tasmin rolled her eyes. "If you haven't figured it out by now you'll never understand." 

"But the SeeD's came because Bareta invited them." 

"What do you think they've been doing these last few days. Sitting alone in their fucking hotel rooms?" 

"I." 

"They already know more than you think. This whole publicity thing was just Garden's way of covering up a secret investigation." 

"How do you know all this?" 

"That is not your concern. Let's just say Garden puts far too much faith in it's SeeDs." 

"Then.... how much do they know?" 

"Don't worry you're safe........ for now. But don't expect them to simply go away. If you fuck up again you'll lose more than your life." 

"Y.... you wouldn't..." 

"We can't afford for you to make any more mistakes." She grabbed him by the scuff of the neck and pulled him to his feet." Clean yourself off, we have a party to return to." She walked off quickly, leaving him behind in the deserted garden. 

____________________________ 

"Did you see that? Selphie asked. 

"See what?" Zell asked, stuffing food into his mouth. 

"Samuel Benson just walked off with that woman." 

"The young one or the old one?" 

Selphie rolled her eyes. "Old one. He just followed her into that closed off area." 

"So?" Zell asked. "She's pretty." 

"So?! He's a hundred years old and _married!_" 

"Maybe they're talking business." 

"What business?" 

"I dunno, business." Zell said looking around the room. 

Selphie looked up at Zell. She raised her eyebrows when she realised he had stopped eating. "What are you looking for?" 

"What?" 

"Something's got your attention. Who are you looking for?" 

"No one!" He said quickly. 

"Mmmhmm." 

"Really, I'm not looking for....." Zell walked off quickly in the opposite direction without finishing his sentence. He moved quickly towards the object of his distraction. Leanne had just walked through the entrance. 

"Wow, you look great." Zell said as he stared at her simple navy gown. It was far from being the most expensive or eye catching, but Zell found it almost impossible to tear his eyes off of it. 

"You don't look so bad yourself. I had no idea you could pull off wearing a suit." 

"What? You think I've never worn formal wear before?" 

"Judging by the way you keep fidgeting, I'm going to say no, no you haven't." 

"Hmph, lucky guess." 

Leanne laughed as he walked towards the long white table that ran along the left side of the court. "I thought this was a banquet?" 

"It is." 

"What's with the buffet section." 

"Appetisers. We go inside in around half an hour." 

"Hmm, in that case, we'd better hurry." 

"Hurry? For what?" 

"Well, if memory serves me correct, the dance floor inside is only half the size of this one, making it very crowded." 

"Your point being?" 

Leanne grinned slyly as she dragged him out to the centre of the dance floor. 

"Oh no, I can't even dance in a nightclub, let alone somewhere with all this fancy waltzing stuff." 

"It's not that hard. Here, I'll lead." She grabbed hold of his hand and placed her other hand on his hip in the same way a man would hold a woman. "Now, follow my feet." 

"No way!! Everyone's looking." 

"So?" She placed his other hand on her shoulder. 

"So!?" He protested. "It's embarrassing." 

"Only if you think about it. Now come on, one two three, one two three, no no, when I spin around you have to move your legs faster to catch up. Otherwise I'll be dragging you across the dance floor." 

"I can't do this." 

"Of course you can, don't think too much, just listen to the music and let me guide you." 

"People are staring." 

"Let them stare, maybe they'll learn a thing or two." 

"Maybe we'll start a new dancing trend." 

"Maybe." Leanne laughed. "Good you're getting it. You're a natural." 

"But of course." He said in a snobby manner. "We Dincht's are masters of all dances." 

"Including the chicken dance?" 

"Hey check this out." Zell quickly changed the position of his hands so hat he was able to lead, then without warning he pulled Leanne closer to him and dipped her. Leanne fought back a squeal as she felt herself fall, but the strong arm around her waist held on firmly and pulled her back up. 

"I can't believe you did that." 

"Neither can I." Zell said, a huge grin on his face. 

"Now people are really staring." A breathless Leanne said. 

"Let them stare, maybe they'll learn a thing or two." 

"Smart arse!" 

"No shit." 

________________________ 

Squall watched as they laughed like children while dancing around the room, completely oblivious to those around them. _'This can't be good.'_

__"Squall" Irvine snapped. "Are you awake? What do you want me to do." 

"The second you get a chance, go up and talk to Tasmin." 

"About what?" 

"...What?" Squall stared in shock at the clueless Irvine. 

"What do you want me to talk about with her." 

"........... Hyne, what has Selphie done to you? What do you think I want you to talk about?" 

"........... Oh right, I get ya......... Wait, what do I tell Selphie?" 

"I'll take care of that. Hurry up, you've got less than 20 minutes until we go inside." 

"I don't know Squall, I don't think Selphie would be too happy if I did that. I kinda promised her I wouldn't..........." 

"Irvine, you're not about to hit on some nameless hussy. This is for our mission. Now quit acting like some lovesick puppy and get over there." 

"Yeah yeah, ok I'm going." As soon as Irvine walked off Rinoa came up and gently put a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Are you sure you should have done that?" 

"Of course." Squall said, puzzled. 

"You're really going to hurt Selphie." 

"She'll get over it. Irvine has a job to do." 

"No you don't understand. They've only been exclusive for a few weeks. It took Irvine almost a year to stop........ well...." Rinoa paused as she searched for the right words. 

"Sleeping around with anything in a skirt?" Squall finished for her. 

Rinoa gave him an angry look. "Too put it crudely, yes." 

Squall rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking him to sleep with her. Just to talk with her." 

"I know but, maybe the temptation might be a bit much for him." She said, biting her lower lip. Squall sighed as he wrapped his arms around her waist drawing her to him. 

"Irvine wouldn't do that. And even if he does...... Well.... Then it's best to find out now rather than have him hurt Selphie after she's gotten really attached to him." 

Angrily she pushed against his chest, forcing them both to stumble slightly. "Hyne Squall, you can't really believe that." 

"And what if I do?" 

"Well..... I....." 

"Look, give the guy a bit of credit. Irvine may be a bit of a sleaze, but he's not a complete jerk. He made a promise to Selphie and he'll keep it." 

Rinoa sighed. "Your right. I shouldn't have assumed anything." 

"Don't worry, it's not like he's given us many reasons to think otherwise." 

"You're right. As usual, you're right. But now we have a bigger problem." 

"......?" 

"Who's going to tell Selphie?" 

_______________________________ 

Quistis stared out the hotel room window and cringed at the view below. A group of teenagers were running out of the bar, laughing at the ageing security guard chasing after them. They were lucky the guard didn't have a chance of catching up to them. Underage drinking was dealt with severely in Deling, which made Quistis wonder why they'd bothered to take the risk at all. _'Was I ever like that?' _ Quistis tried to think back on a time when she too had been reckless, acting without thought. _'Isn't that what I did? When I went to Raijin's? No, that was different, it wasn't that I didn't care about the consequences, it was just that I didn't think they would be that severe. I honestly never thought in all my life that I would be attacked, or that I would be saved by.......'_ Quistis cringed, afraid to even think his name. _'Hyne, what has happened to me?' _Slowly she got to her feet and walked over to the kitchenette. Opening the fridge she bent down and pulled out small bottles of liqueur and a small bottle of red wine. Closing the door she walked over to the bench and poured most of the liqueur bottles' contents into a glass . She grabbed another glass for the wine and sat back down in her seat next to the window. Quistis stared at the 'cocktail' as it swirled around in it's transparent prison. _'Well, if I'm going to be shut up in here like a caged animal I may as well not remember it.'_

__

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

__

It's short I know, but I didn't want to have too many P.O.V changes in one chapter (I've been told it can get confusing). Anyway I'm so sorry it took me this long to update (I'll be surprised if anyone is still reading this), the good news is there's no school for the next few days so I'll try and get a couple of chappies out before it starts again. Please review and tell me what you think. 


	20. Idiot

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Twenty_

__

__Seifer breathed in deeply as he stared up at the cold blue sky. The sun had only just set; the horizon was stained a deep pink. The night air stung his exposed neck as he wrapped the jacket tighter around his rigid body. He pressed his back up against a wall and stared at the city exit. Just a few more feet. He held his breath as two officers walked by, oblivious to his presence just inches from where they stood. Seifer begged in his mind for them to leave. Every second he stayed in Deling was costing him a chance at freedom. He waited in anticipation for what felt like an eternity, but still they did not move. 

"Fucking weather. Just my luck this chill comes on when I start shift work again. I swear the gods are out to get me." 

"Ha ha, yea, everyone's out to get ya. I reckon ya crazy for giving up that bloody desk job. I mean, the pay may not be any different, but who'd wanna stand out here freezing their arse off when you could be working 9 to 5 like any normal dickhead." 

"Just between you and me, I wasn't given much of a choice." 

"Been stealin' office supplies again ey Gaz?" The second man said with a cheeky grin. 

"You could say that, if by office supplies you mean the bosses wife." The first man laughed. He took hold of his rifle that was strapped to his shoulder and leant it up against the wall, merely a whisper away from Seifer's grasp. A cruel smile formed on his face as he contemplated his next move. He would give the guards two more minutes to leave, hopefully avoiding any messy bloodshed, but if they hadn't moved by then 

"Gawd, you didn't did ya? What would ya missus say?" 

"Nothin if she doesn't find out. So you keep your mouth shut, or I'll shut it for you. It's her own bloody fault anyway, if she wasn't so busy with the kids I wouldn't have to go elsewhere would I?" 

Times up. Seifer grabbed the rifle and swung the butt around, hitting the second man at the base of his skull, snapping his neck. He tripped the first man as he tried to run and threw him up against the wall. Seifer threw the body of the second man over his shoulder and hauled it into the industrial bin that had kept him out of sight from the guards. He calmly walked over to the first man who had just regained consciousness and was trying desperately to get his two way to work. Standing above him he kicked the radio out of his hands, shattering it into a thousand pieces as it hit the pavement. 

"Please don't kill me. I have a wife and kids." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face as he tried desperately to get to his feet. 

"So I heard." Seifer said with a cruel smirk. He grabbed the man by the throat and pulled him roughly to his feet. "This is for your wife." He said before punching him roughly in the lower stomach, keeping a firm hold on his neck to keep him from screaming out. "And this." Seifer spun the man around and kicked him in the back of the legs, forcing him to his knees. " is for keeping me waiting." With one quick motion he snapped the head around, breaking the neck. Seifer threw the limp body in the bin and dusted himself off. He threw the rifle into a nearby bush and ran towards the exit, carefully avoiding the security cameras. Once outside he headed directly for the beach, knowing he'd have to travel as far away from the city as possible. It would add days to his trip but by traveling directly from the city he risked getting caught by patrolling officers. Seifer frowned at the thought of the recent increase in security. Something was definitely wrong in Deling, he wasn't sure if it was directly related to him, but he had an idea that whatever it was that had the authorities spooked, would soon show itself, whether Seifer wanted to know it or not. 

___________________________ 

"I had no idea you were a SeeD." 

"Only recently passed the exam. Not much has changed though." 

"Oh?" Tasmin raised her eyebrow, silently asking him to continue. 

"The press had me down as a SeeD long before I took the exam, so the only difference was the change of uniform, still went on the same missions with the same people how did you know I wasn't a SeeD from the beginning." 

Tasmin laughed softly. "I'm the head of marketing for an international advertising company, we work closely with many of the companies that have hired SeeD in the past. Word gets around, especially with a student as well known as yourself." 

"Well, I do what I can." Irvine smiled lazily as he reached past her to pick up a glass of champagne. His third for the night. 

"Are you here with anyone _special _tonight Mr Kinneas?" Tasmin asked with the same casual attitude as Irvine. 

Irvine winced inwardly at the comment, but somehow manage to push back the guilt that was building inside his mind. He wanted to run, to give Tasmin some corny excuse he'd given to women so many times before when he wanted to make a quick getaway, but he couldn't, he'd been given an order, he had to complete the task. "No, no one special. You?" 

"Just a few business associates. Would you like to join me inside?" Tasmin asked, noticing that the others had started to leave the outside area. "I mean, if the rest of the SeeD's don't mind." 

"No, they won't mind." Irvine offered his arm. Tasmin took it gracefully and smiled up at him with perfect white teeth. _'She's beautiful, there's no denying that. But she's not Selphie.'_ Irvine looked around the room, trying to catch a glimpse of the energetic teen, but she was nowhere in sight. 

Tasmin noticed his far away look and an evil grin spread across her face. Her plan was well underway and she could barely contain her excitement. 

_________________________ 

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful, Zell and Leanne found a table in a secluded corner while Irvine continued his advances towards Tasmin, leaning closer and closer with every whispered word the two exchanged. Squall and Rinoa sat on either side of Selphie, trying to keep her from seeing Irvine, and also preparing to restrain her should they fail. The long speeches were followed by the meal, which was followed by even longer speeches. Finally around 3 am many had started to leave and the hall was almost deserted. Zell stretched his arms above his head as he yawned loudly. "Well, that was boring." 

"Subtlety isn't your strong point is it?" 

"What do you mean?" 

Leanne rolled her eyes. "Never mind." 

"So who was the contact that got you in here anyway?" 

"What?" 

"They generally don't allow reporters into these things, how did you get an invite?" 

Leanne mentally slapped herself for her absentmindedness. She'd completely forgotten the reason she was here in the first place. It was too late now though, Quistis was nowhere in site, in fact Leanne wasn't sure she'd seen her all night. "Where's Quistis?" 

Zell tensed at the question. "Why do you ask?" He said, hoping she would take his sudden change of attitude as a hint to change the subject. 

".. I was just hoping I could ask her a few questions about" Leanne stopped talking when she saw the look on Zell's face. His usual friendly grin was replaced by a cold scowl and his eyes showed no emotion at all. Leanne hated to admit it, but she was afraid. "Did I say something wrong?" 

"No, you didn't say anything wrong. If you'll excuse me, my friends are leaving, I really should go with them." 

"Zell, I" 

"I'll speak to you some other time." 

"Right, well I'll give you a call then." 

Zell nodded politely before walking off. Leanne stared at his back in confusion. _'What just happened here? What did I say? He can't be upset because I asked for Quistis could he?' _She decided to find out exactly what had affected him in such a way. She grabbed her purse and ran towards the entrance. She saw Zell heading towards the nearest bus stop and tried to yell out to him. She reached the bus just as it had pulled away from the curb. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering as the cold wind bit through her thin dress. Not wanting to give up so easily she started on foot towards the buses final destination. 

______________________ 

"How could I have been so STUPID!!" Zell yelled as he slammed his door shut. _'And to think I thought she actually wanted to spend time with me. She's a _fucking _reporter for Hyne's sake. I should've known there was something else. How could I have _not _known.'_

__"Stupid idiot!" Zell flung himself on his bed after roughly pulling off his jacket. He threw the top pillows across the room, not caring were they landed and reached behind the bed to pull out the files he'd found. They'd been delivered to him that morning after he'd made a request from a contact in the newspapers headquarters. He'd not yet had a chance to look at them. _'Or maybe I just didn't _want _to look at them.' _He roughly pulled off his shirt and tie and flung them to the floor, he sat up and crossed his legs as he laid the file out in front of him. He grabbed the packet of chips beside his bed and half-finished bottle of soda and continued to stuff his face as he opened the file. The file contained the usual information, copies of birth certificates, resumes, articles she'd written and high school certificates. 

"Leanne Eluva DenverEluva?" Zell would have laughed if he hadn't shoved a handful of chips in his mouth at the same moment. He grabbed for the bottle of soda as he tried to dislodge the food from his throat. "Shit!" He calmed himself down then continued to search through the file. His eyes widened as he came across photos taken by the hotel security cameras. Squall had said he'd seen her in the hotel, so he'd wanted to find out what exactly it was that she was doing. Unfortunately there where no camera's in the rooms, but Zell knew that it was Quistis' door that Leanne was opening, and there was no doubt that Quistis was not in the room at the time. 

"That conniving little bitch!!" Zell jumped off his bed and ran out of his room. He slapped his hand on Quistis' door and waited for her to answer. A few moment's later the door opened slowly and a slightly inebriated blond stood before him. 

For once in his life, Zell was completely speechless. 

"What the hell do you want?" She said, a slight slur in her voice. 

" uh, I justHoly crap, what the hell have you been drinking." Zell said as he held his hand up to his nose. 

"What's in the mini bar?" 

"About 10 different types of alcohol." 

"Well, there you go." She began to close the door. 

"Quistis, this isn't like you at all." 

"Your point?" 

"Look, I came here for a reason" 

"If you're here to try and cheer me up, forget about it, I'm perfectly happy wallowing in my own self pity." 

"No, you remember that reporter?" 

"What about her?" 

"Well she broke into your room yesterday and." 

"She what?" Quistis opened the door further and pulled Zell in. "Where the hell is your shirt?" 

"On the floor in my room." 

Quistis rolled her eyes. "Figures." 

"I asked the security staff here to check through the surveillance cameras and they got photos of her entering your room. Did you know about this?" 

"Hell no, did she take anything?" Quistis said, trying hard to control the slur in her voice. 

"Not that I know of, that's what I came to ask you?" 

Quistis rubbed the back of her neck, oblivious to that fact that she'd picked up the habit from Seifer. Her eyes flew open as she realised what Leanne was after. "Shit!" She ran towards her bed and pushed the mattress off. 

"Anything missing?" Zell asked alarmed. 

"No, but this is definitely not the order I left them in." Quistis said looking through the files. 

"What now?" 

"Isn't it obvious. Where the hell is Leanne?" Quistis jumped up quickly, soon regretting her actions as she began to sway. 

"I don't know, I left her at the party." Zell said, grabbing hold of Quistis' arm to keep her on her feet. 

"Zell, that isn't like you." 

"" 

"What happened." 

"She reminded me why I was hanging out with her in the first place." 

"You really like her don't you?" 

"It doesn't matter!! She's a reporter; all she cares about is her job and getting the story. She was just using me." 

"Weren't _you_ using _her_?" 

"Yea but." 

"But what; how is what she did to you, any different to what you did to her?" 

"It just is all right?" 

"Grow up Dincht, she may have deceived you first but." 

"I had a fucking mission to complete!!" 

"Wrong, you DO have a mission to complete. It's not over yet, we can't let her know what we've discovered, she may know more than we think. You'll have to find a way of retrieving all the information copied." 

"" 

"Zell, I know this has upset you, but just remember she was just doing her job, as you betrayed her in order to do yours." 

"It's not her I'm angry at. It's me. I was an idiot to think she was interested in anything more than" Zell blushed, afraid that he had said to much. 

"? Oh, I see." Quistis had not realised that his affections for the reporter ran so deep. 

"What happens now?" Zell asked, suddenly unsure of himself. 

"You call her. First thing tomorrow and *hic*. Scuse me." Zell reached out and grabbed her as she sank to her knees. 

"Shit Quistis, what's gotten into you?" 

"Oh about 4 tequila shots." Zell eased her onto the floor. 

"That's all it took to get you like this?" 

"Oh that and whatever else was in the bar." 

Zell had to fight back the urge to laugh, as serious as the situation was. Quistis had rarely had more than a couple of heavily watered down drinks at any function, and she was certainly not known to drink on her own. This was definitely not a sight that Zell would forget any time soon. "What where you about to say?" He asked, leaning her up against the wall. 

"What. I was saying something?" 

"About calling her." 

"Oh right, call her up and make up some corny excuse *hic* and ask to make it up to her." 

" I suppose your right." 

"Of course I'm right, now help me fix up my bed, I'd like to have something soft to pass out on." 

That was the last straw for Zell. He tried desperately to breathe between each laughing fit, but every time he looked up at her confused expression he simply laughed louder. In the end it was Quistis who had to help him off the ground. 

"I'm glad you find this so amusing." Quistis said with a smirk. 

"Sorry, it's just that." 

"I know, I know. You don't have to say it." 

Zell bent down and fixed her mattress and blankets. "I'll see you tomorrow then." 

"Yea, tomorrow." Quistis sighed as he closed the door behind him. "I'm never going to live this down." She said aloud. 

"No shit!" Zell yelled from the other side of the door. 

Quistis groaned and fell back on her bed. "Why me?" 

She lay still on the bed for what felt like an eternity. She tried to think of everything that had happened in the last few days but her mind couldn't grasp anything. The fear gripped her suddenly, causing tears to well up in the corner of her eyes. Quickly she wiped them away, ignoring all thoughts of the future. Seifer's face floated before her in her mind, but it wasn't the Seifer who had fled from Raijin's, it was a younger Seifer, barley 17 years old. He had been so.. innocent was too strong a word, Seifer had never been innocent, but he certainly didn't have the worries he had now. Then Ultimecia's name had never been muttered and Seifer's only goal was to see how many people he could upset in one day, to see how many instructors he could manipulate, to see how far he could push Squall. Or was it? In one way or another Seifer had always been an enigma. You could generally guess what he was going to do, but never why he did it. It had taken her so long to figure out why he'd picked on Squall for so long, and even now she doubted her theory. Even his treatment towards her had been odd. With the other instructors it had always been a direct attack on their person, reputation or teaching methods, but with her it had always been mind games. __

__She thought back to one particular time, before Ultimecia, when she had only just become an instructor. She'd expected him to try and break her, but what had happened that day had confused and, although she'd never admit it, intrigued her greatly. 

Seifer had just come back from one of his nightly escapades at Balamb. Although it wasn't very big, Balamb was not completely deprived of the nightclub scene. Usually he hung around at one of the underground bars and would then sneak in around 3 am. He very rarely got caught, and if he did he somehow managed to sweet talk his way out of it. Not many people knew that side of Seifer, he very rarely turned on the charm unless he needed to get out of trouble, and fighting wasn't an option, or he wanted to get laid. Quistis had managed to squeeze some information out of one of Fujin's friends who Seifer had used as a cover and therefore knew where he was going to sneak in. She'd positioned herself near the cafeteria's back entrance and waited for the familiar sound of the lock being picked and then the security system being overridden. He'd calmly staggered into the kitchen and headed towards the exit. It amazed Quistis that even though he could barely see three feet in front of him he'd managed to get through Gardens security system without getting noticed. But what had confused her more was that she knew that tomorrow she'd find him in her class, perhaps a little paler but otherwise seemingly completely unaffected by the copious amounts of alcohol he had obviously consumed. 

_"Almasy!"_ She'd barked. 

In contrast to his usually smooth and controlled moves, Seifer had snapped his head around and braced himself up against the counter as he quickly turned around. 

_"Shit!"_

_"Exactly! Where have you been."_

_"Where the hell do you think."_

_'Incredible!' _She'd thought. _'He's not even trying to hide it.' "You are in violation of Garden code."_

_"Fuck your code. I'm going to my room"_

_"To pass out or throw up?"_

_"Well to be perfectly honest I'd planned to do both, though hopefully not in that order."_

_"You're going to the infirmary."_

_"What?"_

_"It is regulation for underage students under the influence of alcohol or narcotics to be placed in the care of Dr Kadowaki."_

_"What are they gonna do? Pump my stomach." _ Seifer had laughed in her face and continued to walk off. Quistis then ran forward and grabbed him by the arm, but hadn't counted on him losing his balance so easily. They'd both fallen back on the floor, Seifer on top of Quistis. She'd wasted no time getting out from underneath him. 

_"I'll make you a deal instructor, if you can carry me all the way to the infirmary, I won't fight you at all. But if you can't"_

_"I will do no such thing!!"_

_"Suit yourself."_

_"Don't walk away from me!!"_

_"A deal's a deal!"_

_"I never agreed to anything. If you won't go to the infirmary now I'll get security."_

_"And tell them what? That you'd failed to report that you knew I was out. Come now instructor; don't think I can't guess what you did. You got that pre pubescent pig to squeal thinking that you'd catch me red handed. But in doing so you broke one of the fist rules in the fucking handbook. Any suspicious activities must be reported to the Garden faculty. Now, you could call them to come and take me away but then you'd be doing yourself in as well. So why don't we just call it a day."_

_"You blackmailing swine."_

_"Come on instructor, it's a win win situation."_

_"I would never compromise my morals so easily."_

_"No, but if you don't, you'll be compromising your brand new instructors license. What do you think Cid would say to his top SeeD then, I'm thinking something along the lines of 'Pack your bags.'"_

__It was the only real time Quistis had lost her temper with a student. To be honest she'd believed she'd hurt herself more by hitting him, his face had been like a rock against her soft palm, but it was worth looking at his shocked expressing as his hand flew up to his cheek. But what had happened next puzzled her to this day. He laughed. 

_"Having fun yet?"_

_"Bastard!"_

_"Face it, you're enjoying this!"_

__She didn't see him for months after that. She'd swallowed her fear and reported him to the faculty. She been given a stern lecture but it had been left at that. Seifer had apparently been expelled, but at the request of an unknown source (which Quistis could now guess was probably matron) he'd instead been suspended and handed over to the Balamb local police. At the time juvenile hall seemed like the perfect solution. Many thought that the couple of months he spent there would have straightened him out. Others closer to him knew better. When he came back he was just as cocky and arrogant as ever, only now he'd picked up a few extra skills from some of the 'friends' he'd met. After that pickpocketing became a large problem in the halls. 

Lying there that one phrase kept going over in her head. _"Face it, you're enjoying this!". _What the hell had he meant by that? There had been many other situations just like that, but none stood out in her mind so clearly. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself to sleep. 

_'Seifer, you're such a mystery.'_

__"Seifer, you're such a fucking pain in the arse." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ok, here it is. As usual I probably promised to have this out in a few days, but obviously failed to keep that promise. I gave up trying to push myself ages ago, because I just end up rushing and spending twice as long rewriting. Things are getting really hectic because there are only 12 more days of school left before I graduate :D:D:D:D. So things won't be much better for the next couple of weeks :( but I'll try to update as soon as I can. 


	21. Unauthorised Access

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Twenty One_

__

"It's a key all right!" Irvine said to the figure behind the partially opened door while holding up the small card. 

Squall, still half asleep, opened his door slowly and stared angrily at him. "Irvine, it's 7am. What the fuck are you doing?" Squall snapped. 

"It's 9:30." 

"" 

"How much did you drink last night?" 

"No more than everyone else, which is why you should let us all sleep." Squall closed the door and collapsed on the bed. He noticed that Rinoa had already gone back to her room. 

"I know you're probably not up to this, but we can't really leave this to the last minute." 

Squall jumped at the sound of his voice. He rolled over quickly to look up at Irvine who was standing at the foot of his bed. 

"What the fuck?!" 

"You didn't lock your door." 

"That's not a fucking invitation." 

"Squall, get dressed and meet me down in the restaurant." 

"Since when do you give the orders around here?" Squall was in no mood to act like his normal reserved self. He felt like shit and had nothing against taking it out on the nearest person. 

"Since I'm the only one not suffering from a hangover." He quickly walked out of the room and left the commander to recover. 

____________________ 

"Ok, what do you have?" Squall grumbled as he sat down opposite Irvine. 

"It's definitely a key" Irvine closed his mouth as the waitress came up to their table. 

"What can I get ya?" 

"Coffee." Squall grumbled. 

"Basic Breakfast. Make it two." 

"Two Breakfast's and a coffee. Got it." The waitress walked off quickly. 

"Hungry?" Squall asked, not really expecting or wanting an answer. 

"One's for you. I spoke to Rinoa in the halls. She asked me to make sure you ate something." 

Squall rolled his eyes. "Fine, you say it's a key. What for?" 

"A security box at the bank." 

"Who's?" 

Irvine smiled. "Chant." 

"Son of a bitch. What the hell was he at the night-club for?" 

"I'm guessing he had something to do with the attack." 

"That still doesn't help with our mission. We've yet to find a link between the nightclub and the murders." 

"Yes we have. All the victims were either customers of Chant or one of his subordinates." 

"So it's proof that Chant was at the nightclub. Is that enough evidence to convict him." 

"I don't know, but the security box might hold something we can use." 

"That doesn't matter." 

"What?" 

"Deling law states that no items or accounts located inside the Deling bank can be used for evidence unless withdrawn by the owner." 

"So we can't even see what inside?" 

"No, we can use the Deling police to see what's in there, but regardless of what we find, we can't use it against him." 

"Unless he makes a withdrawal." 

"Exactly." 

"So what do we do now?" 

"First thing we do is find out what's in that box. I'll send Zell down to the police station and get their authority." 

"Why do we need their permission?" 

"It's an agreement we have with their government, it's a pain in the arse but we don't have a choice. We'll get Zell to call us when it's done then I'll head over to the bank with Selphie. I'll leave you and Rinoa here to keep an eye on Quistis." 

"Why do I have to stay behind?" 

"You've done enough already. I'll need you to stay behind and get things ready. If this goes as well as I hope it will, we'll be going home very soon." 

Just then the waitress came over with their order. "Will there be anything else today sirs?" 

"No, we're fine." Irvine yawned. "I'll go inform the others of the plan. You stay here and eat." Irvine began to get up. 

"Sit down Irvine. We're not done here yet." 

"" 

"What happened with Tasmin last night?" 

Irvine sighed. "She told me she worked for an advertising company. Her company's been hired by Benson and Sons, which is why she was sitting with the old fart." 

"That's it?" 

"There really wasn't much chance to talk once we got inside." 

"" 

"But she gave me her office number. She told me to give her a call some time." Irvine said, looking down at his plate. 

"We'll leave it for a few days. If things work out you won't have to call her at all." 

Irvine's face brightened. "Best news I've heard all day." 

Squall rolled his eyes again. "Whatever." 

________________________ 

"Squall?" Selphie turned to Squall who was leaning next to her on the wall. Squall didn't say anything but he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Have you noticed anything strange about Irvine?" She asked, hoping the aloof commander wouldn't brush her off like he normally would. 

"Why do you ask that?" 

Selphie stared up at him in surprise. Unless they were discussing the mission he barely said two words, let alone encourage her to continue by asking a question. "Well he disappeared suddenly at the party last night, and when I saw him this morning I barely got a word out of him. I'm usually fighting keep his hands off me, but today he barely noticed I was in the room." 

"Irvine's got a lot on his mind. He stayed up all night tracking down information for this piece of plastic." 

"Why would he stay up all night? He wasn't ordered to. He had days to get that information." 

_'Why indeed?'_ "Like I said, he's got a lot on his mind." 

Selphie looked down at the ground, trying to make it look like she was shielding her eyes from the sun. 

Squall sighed. _'Why me?' _ "Look Selphie, next to Quistis, Irvine's been the most involved in this case. There's a lot riding on this and he's been put under a lot of pressure. We're expecting a lot out of him." 

"I know, it's just..." Selphie was cut short by the sound of Squall's mobile. 

"Yea?" He asked. "Right. Good work." He turned off the phone and placed it back on his belt. "That was Zell, he got us clearance. Let's go." 

Selphie nodded and followed him through the banks front entrance. Once the manager realised who they were it was only a matter of minutes before they were allowed into the vault. 

"So you say these things are opened with a key?" Selphie asked. "So what's the point of the card?" 

The manager tapped the box. "It's a case of security, the person requesting a withdrawal will need both to open it." 

"But we don't have a key!" Selphie exclaimed. 

The manager pulled out a small case from his breast pocket. Inside was a small silver key. "The customer holds on to the keycard, _we _hold on to the key." 

Selphie leaned over and whispered to Squall. "I'm surprised Zell found it so easy to get us permission for this. I thought it would take weeks." 

"We don't have permission. Zell snuck into the back of the police station and faxed through fake details to the manager." 

"What?!" 

"It _would_ have taken weeks, and the whole thing probably would have gone through court before we'd be allowed access." 

"Squall, this is illegal." 

"What the police don't know won't hurt them." 

"And what do we tell the police if we find something?" 

"Ever heard of an anonymous tip?" 

The manager opened the first lock. "Now swipe the card through here." Squall swiped the card. The box beeped and clicked open. "Well," the manager placed the key back in the small case. "I'll leave you to it then." 

After he'd left the room Squall walked over to the box and lifted the lid. 

"Well?" Selphie asked excitedly. 

Squall slowly emptied the contents of the box. A gun, several wads of cash, jewelry and..... 

"What the hell is that?" Selphie asked, her eyes wide. 

"What does it look like?" Squall asked sarcastically, holding up the small disk. 

"I know _what _it is, but what's on it?" 

"That's what we're about to find out." 

The manager allowed them access to the computers in the back rooms. 

"Holy shit!" Selphie yelled. Looking at the screen "But is it enough?" 

"It's more than enough. That bastard's fucked." 

___________________________ 

"No fair!" Zell yelled as he punched the air. "We found the information, _we _should get to do the bust." 

"Zell, this is out of our hands, we found the man in charge of the murders, our job here is done." Rinoa said. 

"But...." 

"Besides, they can't really make the bust until he accesses the safety deposit box. So most of our time would be spent hiding out in a cramped space." Irvine pointed out. 

"Why?" Quistis asked. "If the information was in there, there should be no problem for the police to get an arrest warrant for Chant." The whole group had met in Quistis' room. She was grateful for the chance to still be included in the mission. 

Squall hesitated for a moment. "It wasn't exactly authorised...." 

"Forget it! I don't want to know!" Quistis stuck her hand out in Squall's direction, signaling him to stop. "There is one thing I _do_ want to know, what was on that disk." 

Selphie jumped up before Squall had a chance to speak. "It was a list of all these drug dealers and locations of where they were, as well as security details, times, dates..... Everything!" 

Squall interrupted the over excited Selphie. "It was basically a list of all the victims. Plus some that were obviously doomed to meet the same fate." 

"Doesn't get any more obvious than that." Quistis said, surprised that anyone would be stupid enough to leave a list of their victims. _'Something isn't right about this. It was too simple, too easy.'_

"So how are we going to get the information to the police?" Rinoa asked. 

"All ready taken care of, I've got contacts on the inside, leave it to me." Zell said. 

"We've _all _got contacts on the inside dickhead." Irvine sneered. 

"Who asked you Kinneas?" Zell growled. 

"Enough!" Squall snapped. "We'll hang around here for the next few days to keep up appearances. Zell, I'll leave the rest up to you." 

"YESSSSSS!!" Zell continued to punch the air. 

"As soon as Chant is officially arrested, we head back home." 

"What if our plan falls through? What if he isn't arrested?" Selphie asked. 

"Then our mission isn't finished and we have to stay here." 

"This is getting dangerous." Quistis sighed. "We've stayed here long enough. People will soon start to suspect something." 

"Hopefully we won't be here for much longer. Dismissed!" Everyone got up and started to leave the room. 

"Zell." Quistis stopped him at the door. "Don't forget to call her." 

Zell smiled cheekily. "I'm surprised you can even remember that." 

"Hey!" She swatted the back of his head and kicked him out of her room. 

"Calm down Quistis, it was only a joke." 

"Remind me to laugh when this is over." 

_____________________________ 

Leanne kicked angrily at the side of her bed. She'd been searching for information all morning but had hit a dead end. All her information sources had been bled dry, Seifer and Quistis had both vanished off the face of the planet and on top of that Zell hadn't spoken to her since last night. She'd ran all the way to the hotel only to be denied access by the late night security guard. 

She flinched at the thought. _'Why hasn't he called yet?'_ "Because you blew it Denver!" _'Forget about him, you have a job to do.'_ Suppressing the urge to call and apologise she continued to flick through the files in her hand. Still nothing. 

"DAMMIT!!" She went over the information in her head again. _'Ok, the nightclub is attacked by unknowns, the only real substantial clue they found was Almasy. He disappeared from the military ward in the hospital only days after being captured. Then a few day's later Quistis and the SeeD's turn up. They're researching the murders and linking them to some of Deling's most prominent businessmen..... Barret!! Most of their energy is focused on that old fart! But what role can he play in all this? All this is connected somehow, I just know it!.... Of course!! Barret has many military connections, he could have ordered Almasy's capture.... No why the hell would he do that? Unless...' _

__

__She ran over to her computer and turned on the power. She tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited for it to warm up. "Stupid piece of crap!" 

She spent the next two hours researching every single part of Baret's life. _'There has to be something you're trying to hide.' _Another hour passed, and still nothing. 

"AAAARGH!! I give up. This guy's record is cleaner than my mothers!" 

A noise sounded, informing her of incoming mail. "Shit. What now?!" _'It's probably my boss giving me my weeks notice. I haven't been in for the last few days.'_

__The single email in her inbox had no subject. The sender's address was vaguely familiar. 

"I hope this is from who I think it is." 

_He's heading for Esthar._

__

__Leanne stared at the screen for several minutes before it finally clicked. She reached over for today's paper and stared at the front headlines. _'TWO PATROL OFFICERS FOUND DEAD NEAR CITY ENTRANCE.'_

__"Clean kills.... Broken necks..... Done by professional..... Suspect expected to have fled city..." She said out loud, reading over parts of the article. 

"Professional? Broken necks..... Seifer's trade mark kill." She's stared back at the screen. "This is too good to be true." 

__________________________ 

Four days passed before the police decided to take action. Security was monitored at the bank, two days later Chant made an appearance, requesting a withdrawal. He'd removed all items from the deposit box but was arrested before he got to the exit. He was being held in custody until the date of the trial. The next day Squall began packing his bags, preparing to leave with the rest of the SeeD's that night. 

He'd just started to clear out his bathroom when Selphie came running into his room. 

"Squall! You here?" Selphie ran inside frantically searching for the young commander. 

"In here. What's happened?" 

"It's Chant." 

"What about him?" 

"He's been murdered." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I think I've finally figured out what I want to do with this story, so hopefully it should all start coming together soon. A lot of my friends have told me that it's becoming a bit confusing :S. Ok, same deal as last time, review and tell me what you think. 


	22. Murdered

****

**Wrongfully Accused**

_Chapter Twenty Two_

__

__"How did he die?" Squall asked as he threw his jacket on over his shoulders. Selphie half ran down the hall to keep up with the young commanders fast pace. 

"He was hanged. The officials are saying suicide." 

"Why am I not surprised." Squall stopped suddenly and knocked sharply on a door. A groggy Zell slowly answered the door. 

"What?" He grumbled 

"Get every one up and tell them to meet me in Quistis' room in an hour." Squall ran off without waiting for a reply, Selphie hot on his heels. "Where did you find out about this." 

"Danny, he tried to call Quistis this morning but couldn't get through to her, so he called me." 

"Did he tell you anything else?" 

"No, his superiors were just around the corner, he couldn't talk for long." 

"Call him back, get every little detail you can." Squall paused as he stepped into the elevator. "Make sure the line isn't tapped. Use the secure line set up in my room if you have to. We can't let anyone know that we know about his death, make sure Danny knows that to." 

"What about the press?" Selphie asked as she followed him out into the lobby. "The whole of Deling is going to know about it within 24 hours, the whole of Galbadia with 76." 

"Somehow I don't think that's going to happen." 

"How do you know." 

"Instinct." 

"Where are you going anyway?" 

"To see an old acquaintance. If I'm not back within the hour, start the meeting without me, but don't tell them anything you haven't told me." 

Selphie stopped at the door and watched as he ran down towards the bus stop. _'Why wouldn't he want me to tell them anything without his approval. He's never been mistrustful towards us before..... what's going on?'_

___________________________

__

Squall stormed up to the entrance of Benson & Son's. He walked past the receptionist and headed for the elevator. The receptionist said nothing, smug in the knowledge that she knew that he would not get above the 8th floor. What she didn't know was that Squall had swiped the key card for the elevator right from under her nose. Squall grinned as the elevator doors closed behind him. 

_________________________ 

"Mr Leonhart, it is a pleasure to see you again. May I ask the reason for this unexpected visit." 

"Enough with the pleasantries Samuel, you and I both know I'm the last person you wanted to see." 

"Then why show up." 

"Where's your father?" 

"He's in a meeting....... Why do you need to speak with him? Can I not help you?" He said with a conceited smirk on his face. 

"Because I want to speak to the head of this company, not some overeducated, overpaid yuppie who leaches off his fathers money and power to get ahead in life." Squall yelled as he slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him. Samuel stared up at him in shock. 

"How dare you......" He was cut off as Squall grabbed his neck tie and pulled his face up close to his own. 

"No more bullshit, tell me where your father is or I swear I'm gonna jam this letter opener up your pisshole!!" 

Chant started to shake as he frantically reached for the distress alarm under his desk. Squall pulled on the tie again and dragged Samuel across the desk. He pulled him up on his feet before pushing him down onto the floor. 

"Where is he?" 

Samuel said nothing as he began to crawl towards the door. Squall grabbed the before mentioned letter opener and stabbed it into the ground, pinning the lawyer to floor by his tie. 

"Tell me where he is, or next time I won't be so careful with my aim." 

Beads of sweat started to trickle down his forehead as he stared at the sharp instrument, barely centimeters from his nose. "N-Next floor up. You'll need to use the executive elevator, the key to open it is in the top draw." Squall walked over to the desk. "It's locked, you'll need to get the key for it out of......" Squall found the drawer and ripped it out of the desk, wood shards fell to the floor and embedded themselves into the carpet. "Shit, that desk cost me twelve thousand dollars you arsehole." 

"You were overcharged." Squall said absently as he searched for the key, ignoring the broken pieces of wood that threatened to pierce the skin of his hand if he wasn't careful. He found the key and calmly walked towards the office door, stepping over the petrified man on the floor. 

"H-Hey, you can't just leave me here." 

Squall said nothing as he walked out of the room. 

Stepping out of the elevator onto the top floor, he walked quickly to the room at the end of the hall. Voices from within could be heard but were simply inaudible whispers to the SeeD's keen ears. He slowly opened the door and walked inside. 

_________________________ 

"You could've ruined the whole mission you idiot. What the hell were you thinking!?" Benson snr ran a shaky hand through his thinning hair as he continued to stare at the man opposite him. 

"Relax old man, I got the job done didn't I?" 

"What the hell do you mean. Seifer is still alive, the police still haven't dropped the nightclub case and now we have a dead loan shark on our hands. Tell me, is there anything you _haven't _fucked up these last few weeks?" 

"Watch your mouth old man or I'll..........." 

"You'll what? Kill me. Go ahead, I'm a dead man anyway. When the police arrest you all this will be linked back to me. The murders, Seifer, everything, I'll be lucky to get life." 

"I was ordered to kill that mother fucker..........." 

"You were ordered to kill Seifer to. There was no point in killing Chant if Seifer is still out there." 

"I told you, my men are out there looking..." 

"Oh bullshit. I know about what happened at the nightclub that night. It was no accident, you _let _him go. Now we're all dead, and for what? So you could get your petty revenge. Well I hope your happy Seta, the one thing that could stop us is currently running free around Galbadia. Hyne, I dread to think of what he knows." 

"Don't have a heart attack old man, I know Almasy, better than he knows himself. He won't have gotten far. He'll be dead before the end of the week. You have my word on that." 

"You word? My god you are deluded. You actually think your word is worth anything to me?" 

"Maybe not, but what choice do you have old man. Would you rather I let him run off." 

"Fine, do what you have to do, but keep a low profile, from now on I want us to stay out of the media. I've had enough bad attention for one year." 

"Hey old man, when do I get paid?" 

"When Bareta wins this election. That is why we're doing this after all." 

"Fuck, all this just so some crooked Polly can win some stupid election." 

"What do you care? You're just a hired mercenary." 

"Yea, but I still like to know what's going on and who's in charge." 

"So you'll know who to rat out when you get caught?" Benson raised his eyebrow as he lifted an unlit cigar to his mouth. 

"Something like that." 

"Well Bareta's the only man I've had to answer to." 

"So he's the head of all this?" 

"I doubt a man of his limited intelligence even comprehends the situation." 

"So who's his boss?" 

"I don't know, and frankly I don't care. All I know is that the money I got from Chant came from somewhere, and as long as it's origin is kept hidden from the authorities, I'm perfectly happy to stay in the dark about it." 

"Didn't think a man like you would be happy leaving so many loose ends." 

"That is none of your concern. And keep your mouth shut about this, we can't let anyone know that Bareta is involved......." Benson's voice trailed of as he stared at the office entrance. 

"What is it old man?" Seta turned around to see what had distracted him. 

"What are you doing here?!" 

_________________________ 

"Didn't think a man like you would be happy leaving so many loose ends." 

"That is none of your concern. And keep your mouth shut about this, we can't let anyone know that Bareta is involved." Squall stopped in the doorway as he heard the end of the conversation. _'Bareta?!'_

__"What are you doing here?!" Benson said, his face turning pale. 

Squall stared at the old man "You're a hard man to get a hold of Mr Benson." 

"Seta, I believe it is about time you left." The other man rose from his chair and slowly walked towards the door, but not before eyeing Squall for some time. Squall returned the gaze with equal intensity. _'Seta? Where have I heard that name before.'_

"Have a seat Mr Leonhart." The sound of his shaky voice broke Squall's attention. "May I ask what you are doing up here in my office. This area is off limits to all persons unless the have my permission." 

"I'm sure you're aware of the recent.... Passing of Mr Chant." 

"Yes, I am aware. Although not saddened, the world will be better off with one less of his kind in the world." 

"Chant was seen many times with a woman, a woman _you _were seen with the night of the banquet." 

"Tasmin? She is simply hired by my company through Advert Inc. I cannot control who she spends her time with." 

"What do you know about Chant." 

"That he was simply a drain on society. Now tell me, why would a SeeD like you be so concerned with such matters. Are you not here for other reasons." 

"I think it's quite clear why we're here. It's been clear from the start." 

"True that may be, but that does not explain why _you _are here in my office now." 

"How are you connected to Chant?" 

Benson leant back in his chair and placed his hands across his stomach, entwining his fingers. "My dear boy, you will find no answers here. I had little to no control over Jacob Chants actions." 

"But you admit that you know what he was up to." 

"Squall, he was a mere pawn in this game, as are you." 

"What?!" 

"I believe you've spent enough time here. It is time for you to leave." 

Squall knew he could've forced the old man to tell him more, but instinct told him to leave it at that. "Fine." He stood up and walked towards the exit, but stopped just before the door. "But you might want to send someone to check on your son." 

__________________________ 

"Wait, I'm confused." Zell said as he scratched his head. 

"There's a surprise." Irvine sneered. 

"No I'm kinda confused to." Rinoa said. 

"Don't even think about it Irvine." Squall snapped, stopping the cowboy just as he opened his mouth. 

"Oh sure, defend your girlfriend." Zell mumbled. 

"Ok, let's recap what's happened so far." Selphie said. "Squall?" 

"Fine. So far we now know that the murders and the slaughter at the Nightclub are connected. Somehow Benson, Bareta, Chant and Tasmin are all apart of this." 

_'And Seifer' _Quistis thought. 

"It's obvious why Benson is in this. His company wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Chant..... Or whoever it was that gave him the money." 

"Who want's to bet that Bareta got the financing for his campaign from the same source?" Irvine added. 

"Right." Squall agreed. "Benson also mentioned that Chant was just a pawn in this." 

"He was framed." Quistis said. 

"How do you know that?" Selphie asked. 

"It's obvious. Why do you think it was so easy to link Chant back to the murders. 

"Benson and Bareta were using him to cover their tracks." Selphie squealed. 

"Exactly." Quistis stated. _'But how does Seifer fit into all this?'_

"But what was the point in all the murders? How would that help with the senators campaign?" Rinoa asked. 

"There's a lot the people don't know about Bareta." Zell stated. "His past is an extremely well kept secret, maybe he was getting rid of old friends from his past." Everyone blinked in surprise as Zell stood there with a confused look on his face. "What? Hanging out with a reporter for a couple of days _had _to teach me _something_." 

"That reminds me, did you call her?" Quistis asked. 

"What, Leanne? Yea, but I haven't been able to contact her. I heard she'd left town." He said, a sad look forming on his face. 

"Forget about that stupid reporter, what do we do about Benson and Bareta? And what about Tasmin?" Irvine asked. 

Squall sighed as he stood up from his seat. There was a reason he hadn't bothered with hiding his intentions, or the fact that he knew of Chant's death when he went to see Benson. There was no need. "Nothing." 

"Say what?" Zell jumped up. 

"Officially this is out of our hands. We were required to find the man in charge of the murders and we did that......" 

"But it wasn't him!!" Selphie squealed. 

"The police are convinced that it was him, and we don't have any hard proof to convince them otherwise." Quistis stated, understanding what Squall was trying to say. 

"But what about Bareta?!" Rinoa cried, trying restrain herself screaming out. 

"That is none of our business." Squall walked over to the door. "Garden has ordered that we return home within 20hours. We will obey this order without question. Understand!?" Squall snapped at them 

"How can you just leave this as it is?" 

"Look Rinoa, I don't have time to explain Garden policy to you. I'm going back to my room to finish packing. We'll leave early tomorrow morning." Squall stormed back to his room and slammed the door. "Damn!" _'I finally get a chance to understand what's going on and Cid has to order us back.' _He walked over to the window and stared out at the city._ 'Something big is going on out there, but what more can I do, and order is an order.'_

__

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

__

__Bet you all wondered what happened to me. There are many reasons why I haven't updated for so long.... The main reason is laziness, but the fact that I started uni this year also had something to do with it. So if you hate me for this, tell me in a review :P. 

Some good news, I've actually started to work out the finer details of this story, so even though I can't make promises on updates, the chapters should start moving a bit faster. I really am sorry that I haven't updated for so long, but I'm not going to make a promise as to when the next chapter will be up because honestly, I just don't know. 


End file.
